Before You Know It
by PurplePen.2O7
Summary: Piper Chapman is a Private in the Fort Litchfield Army who had been shot recently. After her physical recovery she had been sent back home to repair emotional damage. Along the way she meets a mysterious, bartending, pole dancing, struggling painter named Alex, that changes her life completely. Will she leave or stay when she's offered another root? Read to find out. (AU)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**

 **So, just a heads up guys this is not beta-read and all mistakes are mine. Anyway this story is really just something to get my mind out of the gutter, comment if you liked the fist chapter I don't know when the 2nd will be out but hopefully it'll be sooner than expected. =]**

* * *

"It's been 3 months Private." General Healy said as he walked across his lone tent, reaching just behind his desk and falling into his seat swiftly. The cluster of pages regarding Private Chapman's progress held loosely against his palm.

"I'm _impressed_ , but I'm not stupid." He let the papers fall against his desk, took off his glasses and stared at Piper. His gaze held fiercely causing Piper's eyes to falter and shift to her feet.

 _3 months_ have passed since the day Piper's life tumbled near the edges of oblivion. _3 months_ ; since the short, rapid breaths she took. As she felt the small metal bullet slice through her flesh. _3 months_ ; since her eyelids shuttered close. Gradually weighing too much to keep open, while her blood gushed out. _3 months;_ since her body was revived from a near-death experience.

 _Never_ had time passed so slow. She felt like the earth spontaneously decided to move slower, increasing the hours in a day and _suddenly_ what was suppose to feel like 24 hours, felt like an eternity. Time stood still. For 3 months. _Time_ , stood still.

And for 91 days she couldn't sleep, every time her eyes closed; _that moment_ flashed through her brain, not stopping like a broken record, rewinding and playing at that exact moment. The right side of her stomach still carrying the burning pain of the bullet's residue. The sound of gunfire never left her, it echoed through her ears again _and again_ ; as if she was in space when it happened.

 _Yet_ , here she was sitting in front of General Healy's desk, asking for an extension. Everyone in her unit was extending, and she felt obligated to extend too. Whether her intentions be out of peer pressure or just to _prove_ to herself that she was still capable of fighting, _just to prove_ that she wasn't weak because she was wounded; it wasn't clear, she just felt like she had to extend.

But Healy was not having it. During the year Piper served in the army, she grew to become Healy's "Army daughter". He cared for her since day one, when the _too young_ and _too innocent-looking_ blonde stepped foot into combat training. Giving her _just that little extra_ attention, patting her on the shoulder softly when she mastered a trick or the simple encouragement he gave her on a daily bases when they passed each other on the base floors.

He grew to really care for her and he knew she was stronger than she looked. So it wasn't the matter of her physical wound causing a barrier between her extension. No, it was her _emotional wound_ that was still fresh, open for any infection to attack. He knew that for whatever reason Piper wanted to extend her tour, it wasn't the right one.

"General, I can _assure_ you I can be of use-"

" _Go home_ , Chapman." He cut her off before she could finish.

Piper sighed heavily, the thought of home rushed across her brain. _Where even is home?_ She hadn't been back there in over a year. _So much_ could've happened in a year. The buildings her eyes were used to could've changed colors by now. The people she grew to know, probably drifted to strangers. The shops she found herself often stumbling upon, could be nothing but abandoned warehouses. Her hometown might as well have transformed into a _ghost town_ by now, because unlike her life, everyone else's kept moving on. _So, where even was home?_

" _Pack your bags_ , Chapman. You're on leave for the next _3 weeks_. I _suggest_ you use that time wisely." He told her as he stood up from his place.

He didn't have to look back to know the look of shock and disappointed the blonde currently supported. She sighed heavily running her fingers through her hair, biting her lip slightly. Stopping herself from cursing the world. Healy turned from his position near the tent door, as soon as he heard her heaved sigh.

"It's for your own good, Piper." She looked up at him, she could see the slight glint of father nurture in his eyes. "I've known you for over a year now, and _yet_ you _still_ can't answer _the most basic_ question when entering the military; What are you fighting for?"

Piper stared at him; the cat definitely got her tongue at that moment; acknowledging her own neglected self. She realized she basically had no say in this. General Healy was sending her back home, whether she liked it or not.

"Find your sense of self again." Was the last thing that slipped out of his mouth before he turned to head out the tent. Piper stared at the now empty spot by the tent whole. The sounds of soldiers light banter and army life slowly fading into nothingness and she couldn't help but think. _What is she fighting for?_

* * *

"Hey stretch!" The bushy haired redhead yelled through the loud thumping of club music. Alex turned her attention from the pretty brunette she was flirting with to look at her boss.

Nicky had a bottle in her left hand ready to throw it in one of those professional bartending ways. She stood behind the bar, next to her best bartender slash best friend as she threw the bottle at the heels of her head, hitting her scalp, missing the catch _terribly_. The bottle hit the floor with a crash and Alex couldn't keep in the enormous laughter drifting out of her lips when Nicky started rubbing her head.

"Nice shadow toss Nicholes," Alex yelled with a shake of her own head.

She picked up another bottle and perfected the toss Nicky tried to perfect; doing so easily. Once the bottle landed into her right hand she made sure Nicky caught the smirk she left on her lips, _specifically_ for her.

Alex loved to flaunt her talents from time to time. She always liked to think that when you were given a talent, you should be _proud_ of it. _Proclaim_ it, because you weren't given something special just to hide it, you were given something special to _endure_ it. Live with it, to the fullest. What's the point in having it if you weren't gonna show it off?

"Shut it, Vause." Nicky rubbed her head more firmly squinting her eyes when she hit the right spot. Alex chuckled looking at her. "You make it look so damn easy." She slurred out. Alex shook her head again, finding this extremely amusing. She knelt by her boss. Her lips mere inches away from Nicky's ear.

"That's because I'm an expert." She whispered, Nicky smirked at her and let her hands nudge her. Reminding her who's in charge again.

Nicky was clumsy like that, which was why she owned the bar and didn't bartend it. It's crazy how they ended up where they are now. Nicky was _easily_ one of those left-side-neighborhood rich kids, she grew up in the lame light, got _whatever_ she wanted, _whenever_ she wanted. Well, all but _one thing_. She had what money could give you, anything that ever crossed your mind; from luxury cars to paperback notebooks. She _had it_. Materialistic things were never an issue but the one thing she always wanted _was_. The _one thing_ she knew she could never have, though it costs nothing, was _too much to ask for._

Alex was a different story. She had that one thing, the affection that only came from a caring mother; Alex Vause had no shortage of that. Though she grew up in a much simpler atmosphere than Nicky, she felt like she had more. She _did have more_ , more than enough. She had what money _couldn't_ buy and what feelings _can't_ fake. Maybe she didn't have an iPhone when she was 17 like every other person did, but she _did have_ someone who would move the earth, space, and _everything_ in between to please her. Alex had love and she knew _nothing else_ could compare.

Despite their uncanny child hoods and their _very_ different worlds, they found a way of colliding into each other's lives. Ever since Alex took the fall for Nicky's backfired senior prank, they've been inseparable, like they've somehow painted their hands with super glue and pressed their palms together, promising to be there for each other through _thick_ and _thin_.

"Yeah, yeah. Remember Vause you work for me." Nicky teased, Alex rolled her eyes. She brushed her fingers through her hair. Prepping her glasses over her head.

"Yeah and remember Nicky," She smirked, wrapping her arms around the pole on the bar table, tugging herself up."People come for the show." She winked at her boss, when suddenly all the lights turned off and for a split second the music stopped.

The rest of the girls rushing to get into their places, and just like that, in less than ten seconds the music was back on, blaring alongside the lights. Their were about 5 girls on the bar table, including Alex. Each and every one of them claiming a pole as their own. Once the beat dropped, Alex and all the girls slid down the pole _exactly_ on cue; the bar interrupted in cheers and whistles.

Alex took the lead grabbing her pole again, the inside of her foot close to the base of the post. Her dominant hand grabbing the pole at head height, her feet stepping around it; her weight supported by her hand. As soon as she took the full turn, she automatically hooked her leg to the post, aching her back.

The people at the bar applauded loudly. She grinned and continued to move as swiftly as a swan. Her body weight turning into _nothing_ but feather. She continually slid against the post, her long pale legs acting as hooks against the pole; and at some point she had flipped herself upside down. Ending her dance with another wrap around move.

Whistles roared at her, money thrown at her feet as the men and women pushed against each other, all fighting for a chance to be close to the hot, _tall_ , brunette pole dancer. Alex had caught sight of a few regulars. She liked the regulars, they tipped extra. She could use every penny she got from this job. It was pretty decent money.

''Okay, I get your point." Nicky confessed coming around Alex as the brunette collected her money, giving the guests who tipped her well enough, seductive smirks which would make them come back for more. She chuckled quietly at Nicky's confession.

''I need you as much as you need me." The redhead forced out while Alex turned her attention back to Nicky, she grinned a devilish grin. Laughter on it's edges.

''Look at us Nichols, two ends of the same coin." She raised her eyebrows in a proud manner.

''Supply and demand mother fucker." Nicky smirked causing Alex to finally chuckle.

* * *

The night washed away swiftly for Alex, it was, _after all_ , the weekend. Her favorite time of the week. Even though she had to spend most of it working, mixing bottles, cleaning tables and then dancing on them, all the while plastering a flirtatious smile on her face. It was tiring but unlike most people, she found that these days were a blessing.

Tippers usually tipped good when they were happy and the two-day excursion usually did that. It also helped that Alex could be extremely persuasive when she wanted to be, not to mention her extensive flirtatious phenomenons too. That helped with the big tips. A perk of being as beautiful as she was, and using that beauty rightfully so.

It was nearing 3 am when the club finally slowed down it's pace, only a couple of seats occupied alongside some people with half empty cups. Alex had picked up a few of the empty cups left on a stray table. She held them in her hand, as she whipped down the table, then made her way back to behind the bar.

Nicky had just walked out of the managers room by the time Alex straightened herself after placing the bar tending bottles back into place, she rested her back against the bar and pulled her tip money from her left-side boob. She counted the stash she had quietly.

"Hey Vause!" she heard her boss's footsteps. She smirked as Nicky approached her, tucking her money back into her left boob. The redhead tossed Alex her keys to the club, she grabbed them quickly before they could fall to the ground.

"Lock up for me will ya?" She told her walking backwards toward the door. She pointed at herself, her thumbs pressed against her chest. "This bitch's got a date tonight."

"Morello's got you _so whipped_ Nicks." Alex said shaking her head at her best friend.

"I _don't_ get whipped, Alex." Nicky rolled her eyes and said her goodbye as she turned around the second she was a mili meter away from the front gates. Alex shook her head at Nicky's _insistent need_ of denying her feelings.

It wasn't the first time Nicky asked her to lock up for her. Ever since the girl met Lorna, _her current girl-toy_ , a month and a half ago; she'd been lousy at her managing skills. But Alex understood that. Nicky _rarely_ ever felt a connection with anyone and when she did, she tend to attach herself to that connection _a little too_ tightly but it was _only_ reasonable with the way she was raised. Even though she won't admit it now but Alex knew that this Lorna Morello chick wasn't just _some sex toy_ to Nicky. She was _much more._

* * *

Piper had been waiting by the airport arrivals for nearly an hour now. She'd phoned her brother before flying out, asking him to keep her return under wraps for the time being, _especially_ from her mom. Oh how she'd throw a hissy fit, if she found out she was _the last_ to know.

Carol Chapman was _never_ comfortable with Piper's decision to step into the battlefield and become a soldier. If anything she was _extremely discouraging_. She complained on and on when Piper had backed her bags to head to boot camp.

" _A front line is no place for a woman, Piper." She huffed crossing her arms over her chest. Piper quietly rolled her eyes and continued to place her items across her medium sized duffel bag. Her back facing her mother._

 _"Do you not understand how dangerous that place is?" She persisted on, trying all her might to change her daughters foolish decision. Piper walked across her mother, ignoring her growing complains as she picked out a few more tanks from her cupboard._

 _"Or how filthy?" She sounded out disgusted, Piper once again rolled her eyes._

 _She'd been hearing about how disgusting the military grounds were, about how spiders crawl into your bunk, and if you aren't carful enough you'd be a living, breathing, walking buffet for the mosquitos; for months now. Ever since she voiced that she was going to the battleground her mother has been trying all she had to stop her. All her attempts failed though and truthfully it only made Piper want it more._

 _"You are letting yourself walk into a death trap!" She half yelled frustrated, Piper threw the few tanks she pulled out messily into her duffel bag. Her mother grabbed her wrist before she could make another movement._

 _"Piper!" She completely yelled at this point. Tugging her daughters wrist. "Don't you remembered what happened to your father?" She hissed boring her eyes into Pipers, her ice cold blue eyes turned to melted frost for a few seconds; and for a split second Piper believed that her mother actually feared for her safety._

 _Carol wasn't just pleading her to keep her feminine image because of what people might say, but she was pleading for her not to do this. Not to put herself in utter danger, just like her father did. Piper peered into her mother's eyes, switching back and forth examining her eyes before she softened slightly._

 _"Of course I remember." She whispered out. Nothing could ever make her forget what happened to him. It was solely a part of the reason she'd decided to go. Maybe, just maybe she'd feel closer to him that way. She tugged her arm away and continued to pack._

Piper sighed as the memory washed over her. _Suddenly_ she wasn't sure anymore why she had gone to the military. _Originally_ , yes it was to be closer to her father but being there she'd never felt so _far apart_. " _Find your sense of self again._ " General Healy's words echoed in her brain. How was she supposed to do that when she never even knew where her self laid in the first place?

She was probably the luckiest one of her military friends. She was off on leave for three weeks, while they were being deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and God only knows where. _Yet_ , she was easily the lousiest. Everyone in her unit knew what they were fighting for. Everyone in her unit had a reason to be there, _everyone_ but her.

Her phone rang in her back pocket, she pulled it out. She only told one person of her arrival, she wasn't surprised when it was her younger brother that was ringing her. She answered the phone.

"Hey Cal." She said casually.

"Heya lil' sis." He said happily. His hippiness growing into focus. Piper smiled slightly, she did miss him. "How was the plane ride?"

"Oh you know." She paused slightly looking at the sky, as if reminding herself of what it was like to be on the plane, on her way home. " _Long_ , boring, _tiring_." She sighed out, looking back down.

"That doesn't seem so far out." He chuckled.

Cal usually took everything in life lightly, which was probably less stress. Piper was jealous of how he could find so much peace in a world were war was a common factor, nevertheless Cal _always_ found a way to make it better. He was optimistic for the lack of a better term.

" _Ya_ , so where are you?" She asked. "I arrived like an hour ago, the airports almost empty."

"About _that_." He began skeptically, Piper crossed her brows. Cal's tone wasn't very pleasing.

" _Cal_ "

"Before you freak out and kill me. Just know I did not plan this and if things went my way, we wouldn't be in this situation. But-"

"Cal!" Piper yelled, stopping him from beginning a ramble fit. " _What_ is it?" She questioned. Her grip on her phone tightening.

"Well, _Umm_." Cal paused trying to find the right words. Piper sighed. She had a pretty good idea what was going to come.

" _Please_ tell me you didn't tell anyone I was coming." She sighed, throwing her head back in annoyance, it was the _only_ annoying thing in Cal. He couldn't keep his mouth shut.

"It may have slipped once." He mumbled. Piper groaned. "Or _twice_."

"Jesus Cal!" Piper rubbed her forehead, she could easily feel a migraine coming on. Her brother can be the death of her sometimes.

"My car broke down! And I may have phone Polly to get some help and she may have phoned Larry." He explained.

" _Larry_!" She groaned. "Larry my _ex fiancé_ Larry? Of all the people in the world you could call, you pick _Larry_?"

"In our defense he was the only person awake at the time." Piper shook her head, she couldn't deal with this now. "Polly's on her way to you. Call her, she'll be waiting for you near this DoubleN Club. Chill there for a while till she gets there."

"I'm going to _kill you_." She hissed. Purely out of sibling rivalry. Cal chuckled nervously.

"Normally I'd brush it off thinking you couldn't, but seeing as how you've been at war for over a year, that threat seems more dangerous now." he tried to make light of the situation. "But chill Piper, at least mom doesn't know yet." Piper sighed, _that was good._

"Don't tell her yet. Just give me two more days to settle then I'll call her."

"Will do Pipes." He said the blissfulness growing back on his voice. " _Hey Piper._ " He called for her before she were to say goodbye and hang up.

"Ya?"

"I missed you _dweeb_." He said whole heartedly, Piper smiled. An image of them as kids flashed into her mind. Ya, she _did miss him terribly_ , even with his annoying secret spilling mouth.

"I missed you to _dork_." She smiled and then said her goodbye hanging up, to head to this DoubleN Club.

* * *

Alex was picking up the last of the glasses left on the final empty table. She was the last one left in the club, when she heard the club doorbell ring. She paused noticing a tall blonde in army pants and a white tank top walking in. She was taken back by her attire, she had a duffel bag hanging on her shoulder, a jacket sprawled on the bag with the same army print as her pants.

The blonde took in the club, she herself taken aback by the silent atmosphere. Had she missed a closing sign when she walked in? She didn't know. Her eyes examined the room more, hoping to fall on anyone that could've been there.

Alex found her green orbs still processing the blonde before her. She wasn't the type to gawk, _usually_. But seeing a blonde woman in army clothes, in the middle of a nearly empty club was something she was willing to gaze at.

 _Their eyes met._

Alex seemed to falter with the glasses in her hand. _Blue_ ; that was all she could see at the moment. _Ocean blue_. Piper felt a sudden tickle down the pit of her stomach at the way the brunette stranger seemed to stare at her. She looked away instantly tucking back a stray strand of hair behind her ear before asking.

"Sorry, are you closing?" She asked, taking slight steps towards the brunette. Alex shook her head.

"No." She said still gazing at her. Piper looked around the club again, it seemed pretty empty for an open club. Alex followed her eyes catching on. "I mean, _Yes_ but I can keep it open for a few more minutes." Alex smiled softly, she could sense in some way that the blonde seemed tired. Piper smiled a slight "thank you" coming out of her mouth.

Piper looked behind her again, taking a few steps away from the brunette. Alex finally snapped out of it, walking her way back to behind the bar. She felt a little tense. Did this woman work at the Army? She asked herself. _Of course she dose dummy look at what she's wearing_. She schooled herself. Shaking her head.

The blonde eventually found a place she deemed well enough for her to sit. She sat at the far end of the bar, her duffel bag on the seat beside her. She sighed heavily, her arms washing over her face as if she splashed it with water somehow, then starred into space.

Alex seemed to quietly watch, taking in the little movements this beautiful, out of the world image before her Was taking. _Never_ in her life had she come across a soldier. Be it a woman or man. They seemed pretty _rough_ or _old_ when she saw them on TV, but this woman looked small, young and _innocent_ in a way. Who was she to judge though. All she knew about this blonde was the clear layer of stress evident on her face.

She took it in her hands and pulled out a shot glass pouring in some Vodka. She normally took a shot or two when she wanted to get some stress of her back. It was an easy way out. She slid the glass all the way to the blonde, she moved towards her, a glass and cloth in her hand whipping it clean. Piper looked at the glass before her and at the brunette figure that appeared just a few seconds after.

"You look like you could use it." She shrugged.

Piper starred at the brunette for a few seconds, taking in the piercing green sight they offered. Surely this woman was a _phenomenal_ sight for sore eyes. She then starred at her drink. She was tempted to drink it but from previous experiences she knew that it wasn't going to end well if she did. So, she pushed the glass towards Alex and smiled politely to the brunette.

"Thanks _but_ ," She pointed at the drink and looked at her. "I don't drink." She explained. Her smile offering a silent "Sorry but thank you" look.

"Yet you step into a bar at 3 am?" Alex questioned with a chuckle. Piper looked away, swallowing a chuckle. Yes that seemed pretty ironic.

"I'm waiting for someone." She felt like she needed to explain. A small smile still lingering on her lips.

Alex nodded her head in understanding drinking the shot herself and placing it in the sink behind her. Piper rubbed the back of her neck, her fingers landing on the chain of her dog tag. She slipped her fingers to the tag itself. Rubbing on it as she starred ahead. She missed the war atmosphere. The danger, the sounds of drunken laughter from her two roommates, Tastyee and Poussey. And Bennet confiding in her, showing her pictures of his pregnant wife who was miles away.

It's true that war was a dangerous and treacherous place in one way or another, but it was also _home_. To the soldiers at least, you gain friendships that could last a life time. You spend most of your time with them, away from your own family and they may not be blood related but those _lifetime_ friendships slowly turn to second families.

Piper sighed remembering some of the happy moments she had. She had good days, but she also had bad ones, there's _no denying_ that. Especially that fatal day three months ago. She frowned remembering the bullet, lifting her other hand to the side of her stomach.

She winced slightly. Alex turned at that. Facing Piper, she saw the dog tag her hand was playing with and her other hand resting against her stomach. Piper's eyes shut, her forehead wrinkling as she breathed in and out trying to calm the pain. It worked. She opened her eyes slightly and breathEd a final breath.

"You okay?" She asked, Piper nodded with a flawed smile.

Alex didn't dare to ask further, she knew it could get annoying when you were asked that. She decided to change the subject, her curiosity coming out to play.

" _Can I,_ " she stopped waiting for the blonde to look at her. Piper lifted her head once she heard the brunette's voice. Alex pointed to the dog tag. "Can I see that?" she asked again. Curiosity lingering on the outskirts of her eyes.

Piper gripped the dog tag slightly tighter, curling her fingers on it for a moment longer. She looked down at it before turning her attention back to the still waiting bartender. The blonde nodded. Alex smiled reaching for it, their fingers brushed as the tag slipped from Piper's fingers to hers. Piper shifted in her seat a sudden rush of heat crawled through her. Alex was too busy examining the engraved letters to have noticed. She smirked.

"So, Piper Chapman." She began lifting her eyes up to Piper. Blue eyes met hers as Piper's body grew intense, shy even. "Have you always wanted to be a soldier?" She asked, the question caught the blonde by surprise.

"I, _well._ " She starred down at her feet before words came to life again. She looked up. "It's a _long story_." Alex nodded, letting the tag go and dangle by the soldiers chest. She straightened up. Piper's eyes following her every movement.

"I don't know if anyone's ever told you this _but_ ," Alex smirked, lifting her glasses over the top of her head. "Bartenders are usually good listeners."

" _Who are you?_ " Piper asked skeptically after a while. The tall brunette just smirked bigger.

"I'm Alex." She answered after a few lingering seconds, putting back her glasses. Piper stared at her questionably as she raised her eyebrows. Before she could even think about telling her story, her phone rang. Alex chuckled.

"Saved by 'the bell.'" She let slip her mouth as she moved to the other side of the bar, to give Piper her privacy. Piper fumbled through her jacket on her duffel bag, Polly was calling. She picked up her things in a hurry and turned around.

"I guess my story wasn't meant to be told after all." She said as she slouched her bag on her shoulder.

"Maybe not today." Alex smiled. Piper returned the smile.

"It was nice meeting you Alex." She said, nodding her head in salut. Her body was programmed to do it now.

"You too, _soldier_." Alex said with a smirk as Piper chuckled. She gave her one final smile before she made her way out, Alex found her eyes watching the blonde from a far till a short brunette collided into her hugging her.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**

 **So, apparently it takes me 5 to 6 days to write a chapter and be content with it. Now this doesn't have much vauseman in it but if you liked it tell me. The next chapter will be vauseman filled.**

Alex had her music blaring through her headphones. She'd placed them around her neck. The beats vibrating against her skin. It was soothing for her; she liked feeling the music. It felt _blissful_ , peaceful even. _Especially_ when she was painting. That's what she really wanted to do; her true passion.

Painting was something she picked up on when she was young. Her mother couldn't afford to get her the trending toys at the time and instead prompted on getting her books, pencils and colouring pads. It started off as a way to shut her up and keep her from boredom. It then turned into something _completely_ different.

Alex started to take pride in it. She enjoyed watching the colours collide and mix into shades that weren't even invented yet; or the way she sketched something then added colour to it, bringing it to life. It was her own type of therapy.

Her paintings usually told stories. Things she _never_ wanted to voice but _desperately_ needed to say. It was freeing and the results of it weren't _so_ bad. In fact, they were quiet the opposite. Her canvases turned out _extraordinary_. Alex's fingers were definitely talented; in more ways than one.

She only had _one_ problem, and it's finding a manager to sponsor her. Booking a show room on its own was a shit load of money, she only ever got to present her project pieces _once_ before, and the outcome of that was very depressing. She even almost stopped painting for a while but seeing as how it was her passion. She gave it another shot.

 _Now_ though; she had more skill with it. Every flick she made with her brush, she made sure was flawless. And it was _flawless_. Every detail; she paid attention to, she made sure was perfect. The more detail, _the more_ extraordinary it was. And her favorite part; the colours. _Nothing_ made life brighter. She loved how she could mix two different things, from different worlds to form something new. Something _unique_.

She had a much better chance now to get a sponsor. Once people actually saw her work that is. Currently; all her canvases lay in the cramped apartment she _barley_ afforded. Nicky's bar offered her good money _but_ art equipment is expensive. _Especially,_ if you wanted the best long lasting products.

Alex had been working her butt off and collecting money for craft materials since she was _sixteen_. Picking up any job that could be offered to her. She even worked as a waitress in McDonalds for nearly 3 years before she picked up a better temp job. She's 29 now and yet she _still_ dose that.

She supported a brush between her fingers as she brushed across her canvas. Her fingers softly moving, in delicate strokes. She bit the inside of her lower lip as she tried to perfect the stroke moving as slowly and delicately as possible. Her fingers and clothes a mess of splattered colours but she barley acknowledged them. All her focus was on her painting. That was until she heard her phone ring. Her fingers slipped the slightest bit with surprise.

" _Fuck_." She hissed; examining the damage she created by a single, _stupid_ , slip up. She sighed putting her brush down for a second and answering the call. Placing the phone between her ear and shoulder.

"Hello?" She supported her phone more properly then picked up her brush again attempting to fix the mess she made.

" _Guess_ who got laid last night." Alex rolled her eyes, she could practically hear Nicky's smirk through the phone.

"Seeing as how _you_ left me to lock up _your_ club last night, i'll take a wild guess and assume _you_ did." She grinned as she fixed her mistake.

"You're _damn_ right, I did." Nicky half yelled into the phone. Alex chuckled, putting her brush down and holding her phone before she moved her shoulders back to their resting point.

"How was it?" She asked curious, Nicky had wanted to sleep with this girl for as long as she'd known her.

"She squirted." Nicky smirked.

" _Oooh_." Alex's eyebrows rose with surprise.

" _Twice_." The redhead's smug smile grew bigger. Alex smirked. A chuckle lingering on her lips.

"That type of girl huh?" She said before she switched her phone to her other ear.

" _Yup_."

"So what now Nicks?" She asked seriously. She walked to her fridge pulling out a bottle of milk. She heard a heaved sigh coming through the phone.

"I don't really know." She confessed. "This is kinda where _you_ come in." Alex snorted.

"I'm no expert in dating Nicky, i've got about as much experience in relationships as you do."

"Oh _please_ I don't believe that for a second." She retorted back. "You may act like you're this big-tough guy Vause, but deep down you're just a big softie."

"And you're a big, selfish, _jerk_." Alex rolled her eyes. Shutting the refrigerator door unconsciously hard. "You know I don't do dating."

"You used to." Nicky mumbled.

"Yeah; the key term here being ' _used to'_." She said with a hard sigh. She placed the carton of milk on the table and took out a glass.

" _Come on_ , Alex." Nicky pleaded as the brunette shook her head in annoyance. "It's been a year." Alex shook her head biting her lip.

"I'm not ready." She whispered out. "You _know_ i'm not." She stated more firmly.

"She's _behind bars_ , Alex." Her boss reasoned. "She can't get to you anymore."

"No, but she _already_ got to me, and I _still_ seem to be stuck in that _swirling darkness_." She hissed out angrily, sighing heavily at the end of her rant. Nicky exhaled her own heaved breath.

"Maybe the reason you can't move on is because you won't _let yourself_ move on." She run her fingers through her hair as Alex shut her eyes and rubbed slow circles by her forehead. " _Jesus Al_ , you haven't even had sex in nearly _a year_."

"Lesbian bed death; _it happens_." She joked poorly. Nicky tusked.

"I'm being serious here, don't you _miss_ it?"

" _Of course,_ I do." Alex retorted strongly. " _But_ ,"

"But what?" She cut her off. " _Stop_ making excuses and get yourself out there. You're 29 Al, you're hot, you're single and you _should mingle_. There are good people out there."

"In this _cruel_ world?" She asked sarcastically. "I don't think so." She shook her head.

"The world might surprise you every once in a while." Alex pored herself some milk, snorting slightly.

"Morello's _really_ rubbing into you." Alex shook her head lightly as she took a sip from her glass.

" _Ay_ , no turning the tables on me." The brunette found herself chuckling softly. "I'm just saying, next time a pretty girl walks up to you, I'm _getting_ you a date."

" _Sure_ , Nicky." She said sarcastically.

"I _mean_ it Vause, you better watch out."

"I got other things to worry bout Nicks, _like_ I don't know; _my exhibition_?" She snapped. Nicky rolled her eyes.

"Perfect for a first date." The redhead answered back with a smirk.

"You don't even _know_ what a first date is." Alex chuckled. Nicky could be just as persuasive as she was when needed.

" _Just_ go with it, Stretch." Nicky hissed. "I gotta go, but _think_ about what I said."

"Bye, Nicholes." Alex said lamely, shaking her head.

She hung up the phone and sighed strongly before finishing her glass of milk and placing it in the sink to wash later. She picked up her brush again and started finishing her painting before a flashback, she didn't want to remember _zoomed_ into focus.

 _Alex had just finished a dance routine at the bar. She was currently collecting the tip money people left for her and at some point a beautiful ravin haired woman approached her. She smirked at Alex pulling out a hundred dollar bill from her jeans pocket._

 _"Maybe you could do that to me sometime." She whispered into Alex's ear slipping the hundred dollar bill into the brunette's back pocket, getting a firm grip on her ass. Alex blushed slightly as the woman backed away again giving her a wink._

 _She watched as the girl walked away, then slipped her hand into her back pocket, she saw the hundred dollar bill with another piece of paper. A number scribbled drunkenly on it. Alex chuckled, she had to admit, the woman was hot but she had a girlfriend that she was content with. Or so she thought._

 _"What was that?" She heard a hissed voice behind her. She turned around, she smirked. She only ever saw her girlfriend jealous a few times. Only because she didn't have much reason to be. When Alex liked someone, she made sure she was faithful with them. She walked to her girlfriend, she placed her arms on her and pulled her close._

 _"Relax babe, it was nothing." Alex, shook her head playing with her girlfriends hands._

 _"Bullshit, she gave you something." Her girlfriend pulled her hands away from Alex, motioning for her to show her what it was. The brunette scrambled the piece of paper, placing it behind her back. "Give it to me." She demanded, Alex shook her head._

 _"It's nothing." She mumbled, her girlfriend never got this jealous before, or demanding. Her stomach clenched slightly, that demanding voice was quiet terrifying._

 _"Give it to me." She interrogated roughly again. This time grabbing Alex's wrist and pulling it from behind her, forcing her to unclench her arm. Her grip hard. Alex hissed in pain._

 _"Ow Sylvie you're hurting me." Alex barely got out. Sylvie just held her grip harder, Alex groaned in pain. Her fingers unclenching accidentally. Her girlfriend snatched the paper and inspected it. She crumbled it up harder, throwing it away. She pulled Alex near her. Her lips cold against her ear._

 _"If I catch you with shit like that again or so help me god, Alex. I will hurt you." She seethed. Finally letting her arm go, a red gash in its place. Her eyes pierced into Alex's green orbs. Fear evident in them. Her stomach doing twists and turns she didn't even know it could. Her finger tips shaking. She held her breath._

 _"You're mine and no one else's." She huffed out. Those words used to feel comforting out of Sylvie's mouth once before. Now they were tantalizingly. Sylvie gave her one last look before she stormed away._

That was the beginning of a treacherous year. Sylvie began to treat her like property. Forcing her to do things she didn't want. Like getting her to cook for her when she got home and if it wasn't good she'd slap her, or when she caught Alex's eyes linger on anyone at the bar too long, she gave her a _long_ glare telling her she'll be having a rough night when she got home.

It got to the point where Alex was a living, breathing punching bag for Sylvie. It went on for months. She covered up her bruises with makeup, accessories and long sleeves or pants. The threats grew more frequent and _more_ dangerous over time. Sylvie even got a gun. Pointing it to Alex's head sometimes; even if she didn't know if the gun had bullets or not, it was _bloodcurdling_.

That's when she finally confessed everything to Nicky. One late night on a Tuesday, she crawled out of their bed, running under the rain all the way to Nicky's place. _That_ Tuesday night was one night she'd _never_ forget. After a long talk with Nicky; the redhead helped her get Sylvie to prison for domestic abuse. The _worst_ part about all of it too; was that she couldn't tell her mother about it. Not until after Sylvie got arrested.

Months passed while she lived with Nicky. Once it turned to almost half a year Alex got herself a new place and slowly went back to her old self. With _one_ exception, she _never_ asked a girl out again. It's not that she didn't want to, she was just _terrified_ of what the come of it would be. After all the greatest devils are only angels in disguise.

She shook her head from her past thoughts, drifting herself back to reality. Sylvie was gone. She couldn't get to her anymore. _Yet_ , the broken pieces she left for her were _still_ scattered on the floor and every once in a while she found herself getting splinters from it. It was like a bad dream you just couldn't shake. She sighed, pulling her final thoughts away and focusing on her painting again.

* * *

Piper tossed and turned in her bed for nearly an hour now, she'd been up since 4am. She couldn't sleep and it wasn't just because her mind mentally registered to waking up at the wake of dawn but because of what she saw behind her closed eyelids.

The nostalgic feeling that hit her _every_ _time_ her eyes shut, it was more than just a burden. It was _torture_. The blinding pain she felt as the bullet hit her; it played over and _over_ like a never ending record. She felt every _bit_ of it; as if it was happening all over again. It was antagonizing and she _hated_ it.

Her physical injury was healing perfectly, it was almost nothing but a mere scar. _Yet_ , she _never_ felt it being _more_ painful.

She didn't wanna come home. Something about this place just made everything more real, _more_ reveling. She almost died. On that battlefront, she almost _died_. However, no place felt better than _that_ battleground. Back there; in the army life, she didn't have time to worry or think about herself. It was _so_ _much_ easier to put what happened to her at the back of her mind, but back _here_ , as she lay on her bed. All she had was time; time to think and worry.

And boy were her thoughts catching up to her. A jumble of questions lingering at the top of her head. What was she doing? Torturing herself? Putting herself in danger? Trying _so_ _hard_ to live, when it should've been such an effortless task. And the loudest question that roared in her mind. _What_ is she fighting for?

She sighed heavily and picked herself off her bed. She changed into anything she found at the top pile of clothes she left in her duffel bag. She needed to get out, before she felt like the room was about to crush her. She needed to _breath_. A breath of fresh air could help her control her thoughts. A run would do her good at a time like this.

She quietly changed into grey shorts and a white tank. She put on her running shoes and quietly left the room. She passed the living room of her brothers apartment slowly.

She could see Cal, sprawled out lazily on his couch. The TV still on from last night. They'd been up all night, catching up. It was welcoming, having someone like Cal in her life. She hadn't smiled as much as she had last night in a long while. He did so much for her than she ever gave him credit for.

She found a blanket laid sloppily by his couch. She picked it up and gently covered his body. She brushed his hair back slightly. Smiling softly. He really was the best brother she could ask for. She removed the TV remote from the coffee table before the couch and turned it off. The silence of the room making Cal shift a slight bit. He fluttered his eyes open tiredly.

"Piper?" He questioned, his voice hoarse. The trace of sleep still evident in his half open eyes. Piper crouched down near the couch, smiling softly.

" _Shh_ , Cal. Go back to sleep." She whispered. "I'm just going for a run, i'll be back." She quickly explained. He nodded; sleep overtaking him again.

His eyes shuttered close just as fast as it opened. In a split second, he was back asleep. Piper smiled a last smile before she got up to her feet again. She left the apartment for her run.

* * *

Alex had drank about 2 aspirins by the time she arrived to the club. It was a rough day for her. The memories of her past _nagging_ at the tip of her sleeve. They hurt her brain. On most days she brushed it off.

 _Today_ though, she just couldn't. The bottle of her feelings she liked to keep cramped finally exploded. There was just no more room to hide anything anymore. Nicky didn't let that go unnoticed when she eventually walked into the club.

" _What_ happened to you?" Nicky questioned as Alex approached her by the bar. She glared at the redhead. Shaking her head with annoyance. Nicky can be really blind sometimes.

" _Nothing_." She said bitterly. She moved herself from in front of the bar to behind it, standing by Nicky. She sighed heavily letting her hand bag fall to the ground. Her fingers brushed through her hair.

"You need a day off or _something_?" Alex shook her head in response to the question. She'd been thinking about what Nicky had said all day.

Though the redhead sometimes can be blinded with selfishness, she had moments when her mind was in the right place. _This_ morning it was. She _was_ right, the only reason Alex can't seem to have a good day or good relationship since Sylvie, is _her_.

She always seemed to stop herself when something good happened. As if not wanting to believe it did, as if it would stop happening if she _did_ believe it. She was _scared_. She was scared things won't turn out as she'd want them to.

But she needed to understand; _that_ was life. The good and bad of it all, it was _life_. You'll have good days, and you'll have the bad. You can't have one without the other and it's time she accepted that.

"You were right." She chuckled out. Lifting her head from the ground to look at Nicky. "The only person in my way of moving on," she looked at her boss and lingered for a second. "Is _me_." She mumbled, Nicky smirked.

"Dose this mean I get to set you up tonight?" Her smirk grew harder as Alex rolled her eyes, a tiny grin dancing at the edges of her lips. She didn't answer her question and went to start preparing for tonight. Nicky trailed after her. Taking her silence as a Yes.

"This is going to be _so_ _good_." She said excitedly. "What would you like? A _brunette_ , a _redhead_." Alex spun around to look behind her, her eyebrows reaching upwards, Nicky gave her the same look. " _What_?"

"You know they're people right? Not _buffet_ items." Alex let a chuckle slip out, she shook her head as Nicky shrugged.

" _Ay_ , listen Stretch. Let me do the magic, _okay_?" She held Alex's hand. "All you have to do is stand there and look pretty." The brunette rolled her eyes. She went to stack up some glasses, Nicky behind her. She snapped her fingers when an idea stroke her mind.

"A blonde!" She yelled out. Alex fumbled with the glasses in her hand, suddenly remembering the blonde from last night. "That's what you need, something new and something you haven't tried yet."

"I don't think that's necessary, Nicky." She protested as she pushed her glasses further back into her face. Her stomach briefly clenching at the probability she might cross paths with the blonde soldier again. Something about Piper made Alex's flesh tingle and her hair stick out. "You can't actually determine a person by their hair color."

" _Again_ , Al. Let me do the magic." The redhead grinned and walked away. Alex pushed her glasses over her head, biting her lower lip. She couldn't believe she was letting Nicky do this, but she knew if she didn't open herself up eventually then she'd never fully move on.

* * *

" _Come on_ , Piper." Polly begged her best friend while she unpacked the little clothes she had from her duffel bag to the drawers she'll be using for the rest of her 3 weeks here.

"Even Nancy and Oliver came all the way from Seattle to see you." She nagged again. Piper turned from her position to face Polly, a tank top still in her hands. A pissed off look plastered on her face.

"See this is _exactly_ why I didn't want anyone knowing I'd be back." Her voice filled with bitterness. "I _don't_ want people coming to see me, as if I'm some _hero_. I _don't_ want people asking me how my life was for the _past_ _year_. I _don't_ want people telling me they understand how _hard_ it is, because they _fucking_ don't." She hissed, throwing the shirt she had in her arms into the drawer.

She sighed heavily, calming her alarmed self down. She raised both her fingers to the edge of her forehead. She pressed her fingers down hard. All she asked for was silence about her arrival and she couldn't even have that. A blanket of silence fell over the two women as Piper took a seat on her bed.

"I'm _sorry_ , Polly." She breathed out. "I didn't mean to snap at you." Polly looked at her sadly.

She couldn't say she understood what Piper felt, but she understood it was hard. She just couldn't help the excitement she felt, seeing her best friend again after a year. It felt like the good old days, when everyone was together. She took a seat by the blonde, placing her hand on top of hers.

"No, _I'm_ sorry." She confessed. "I should've thought about what you wanted, I got so caught up with the excitement of seeing you again, after its been so long. I _just_ wanted to flaunt that I had you back." She confessed.

Piper couldn't stay mad after that. She kind of sympathized with it. Yes, it has been a long time. She knew very well what it was like to finally see someone again, after coming from war. She'd stood by the doors of her father's house every time she was told he was coming and the second the door would swing open, she jumped. She would swing her arms tightly around his neck that he didn't have a choice but to lift her up. Giggles rang through the house during those times.

It was easy for a person to get caught up in a situation like that and every other person reacted in a different way. Like for Piper, she normally hogged her father from everyone else. Every second of everyday she wanted it to be _just_ them. Polly was the opposite, she wanted the world to know that she finally had her best friend back. She wanted to exploit her happiness, get it all out.

At times, Piper failed to see why someone would wear their heart out on their sleeves. She didn't fathom it. Polly was one of those people, she'd never let how she truly felt inside and _again_ it haunted Piper cause she knew she'd never be as care free as Polly was and it ate at her.

"I guess, _maybe_ I could come for an hour." Piper exhaled gloomily. Polly's once rested face turned into an enormous smile. She wrapped her arms around Piper roughly, the blonde couldn't help but laugh. Polly could act like a toddler at times.

* * *

The night was running smoothly back at the club. Well, _everything_ apart from Nicky. She was being a best friend trying to hook Alex up with every blonde that walked in. Little did she know, that Alex had a _very_ specific blonde in her mind and she _knew_ it was a long shot if she ever saw her again.

Last night was a random coincidence. Fate and destiny just slipped of the edges for a single second causing their worlds to clash. It was a 0.1 percent chance if they ever meet again. _Yet_ , she found herself hoping for _some_ stimulated reason that they do cross paths again. Even for just a second, it would be worth it. Because how rare would it be if a soldier and a bartender spend an evening together? Rare enough it would be considered precious. And _truthfulfully_ , it would be _precious_.

" _Seriously_ Al, that last one was smoking hot." Nicky said annoyed.

It had been probably the 5th girl Alex dissed that night. Any girl, actually, that Nicky picked out she dissed. Even if there was nothing wrong with her, she'd find something to complain about. She wanted to pick a girl on her own terms. Work her charm by herself. She knew she still had it somewhere deep down. She was just afraid to use it. She'd been preparing a drink when her boss pinched her. Alex glared at Nicky.

" _Ow_!" She complained.

"Quite complaining." She hissed giving Alex a deadly glare. "You can't ignore _everybody_."

"Would you just _give_ it up?" The brunette moved away from her boss. Going to serve another customer. Nicky followed her like a toddler following their mother at a grocery store.

"Someone _will_ walk in and catch your eye; and _trust_ me, when that happens you'll owe me a dollar." She seethed, crossing her arms over her chest and as if on Que. in walked a group of 7.

They walked in one after the other, the last of the trail a blonde, the very _same_ blonde that stumbled into the club yesterday. Alex's body froze, the bottle she had thrown into the air _long_ forgotten. The retort she was about to give Nicky _vanished_ from existence. All she could do for those few seconds was stare. She felt a crippling feeling crawl from her toes to the tip of her head. The only thing bringing her back to reality was the sound of glass colliding against the floor.

" _Shit_." She said under a rapid breath. She quickly forced her eyes away and bent to pick the broken pieces; Nicky followed the trail Alex's eyes left.

Alex rarely fumbled with the bottles, she never broke glasses or _at_ _least_ she hadn't in years. So, this slip up seemed _too_ _far_ fetched to be _just_ a slip up. Something distracted her and Nicky couldn't help but smirk when she noticed the blonde that caught her best friends eyes. The brunette picked up the broken pieces and threw them in the trash can, she came back to her position, Nicky's grin grown furiously larger. Alex gave her a warning glare.

" _Don't_." She forced out. Nicky looked back at the blonde, who seemed to be smiling politely at her companions at the moment.

"She's cute." A sneaky smile forming on the redhead's lips. Alex shook her head forcing distance between her and Nicky, letting the rest of the bartenders draft a gap between them. She turned back to look at her best friend and frowned slightly noticing the brunette had distance herself.

"You owe me a dollar!" She yelled only causing the brunette to shake her head again.

* * *

" _So_ ," Larry started, speaking directly to Piper for the first time since they were seated.

Polly, Pete, Jack, Nancy and Oliver were in their own conversation at that moment. The blonde in her own world, starring out at the club that was incredibly full. It was such a contrast to when she came in last night. Larry was starring at her throughout the entire time they've been seated. They were facing each other.

It had been months since they've seen or talked to each other. Ever since Larry called off their engagement because of Pipers sudden desire to enter the military they've cut the cord on their relationship. At first it was just a couple texts every now and then, but after a month, contact slowly started to fade into nothing until they were but mere strangers.

"You're _back_." He said as if acknowledging it for the first time. Piper nodded broadly.

"Yeah, _I'm_ back." She obviously stated. Silence fell upon them, the tension in the air thick and dry. Piper tried to avoid eye contact at all costs while Larry did the opposite. When he suddenly gave up seeking her eyes he looked to the ground and fiddled with his fingers.

"For how long?"

"3 weeks." She answered, he looked up at her worry flowing on his face.

" _What_ for?" Piper shrugged at the question, she didn't want to answer it.

Larry had always told her she wasn't strong enough for the Army and mentioning being shot would only give him the satisfaction that he was right. So, she decided to keep quiet, he didn't have to know anything if she wished it. She wasn't obligated to follow his orders or care about what he thinks. It was her life and her decisions, she didn't need criticism over it.

" _Reasons_." Piper shrugged again, making it seem like no big deal at all.

Larry was not having it though. He'd known her long to know when she was lying, and right now is one of those times but he kept quiet. He learned his lesson a _long_ time ago, _never_ meddle when she lied. It'll just end badly. Silence found its way around them again for a few minutes.

" _Piper_!" Pete yelled for her attention from across the table.

He was Polly's Australian husband, she'd honestly never liked him. He always put his nose where it didn't belong and his mouth was bigger than his entire body. She forced a smile anyway and looked at him.

"You never told us how life in the army is like?" He slurred the question, a glass of something in his right hand.

He was obviously drunk. Polly, who was siting beside him nudged his arm. She knew Piper didn't want to talk about anything like that. She'd barely agreed to come. Piper rolled her eyes at the question and looked away. She wasn't going to answer a question like _that_ to a _drunk_ like Pete.

"Why'd they send you back?" He asked again.

" _Pete_." Polly hissed. The blonde still ignored.

"Were you _too_ _much_ of a pussy?" A chuckle lingered in his voice and that's when Piper felt her blood turn ice cold.

She wanted to slap him, how _dare_ he call her a pussy. She wasn't _weak_ , she _fought_. She got _shot_ but she survived. That's more than anything he'd done in his tiny, pathetic life. If anyone was pussy here it would be _him_. He can't even live in his own god _damn_ country.

Piper glared at him. The anger in her fuming. She wanted out, she wanted to _leave_. This was not going to end well if she stayed longer. She needed anything to just get out of here, any excuse. _So_ , that's what she got.

She felt a sudden shrill of coldness hit against her skin. She automatically stood up. Her shirt drenched in what smelled like alcohol. Everyone around the table stood frozen. All that could be heard was a mumbling sorry from the waitress that spilt the drinks on her.

She looked down and her eyes _froze_. They locked with the same green piercing orbs she saw yesterday. Dread washed over the waitresses face. The brunette had stopped mumbling her sorry's once their eyes got caught up. For a while they stood just starring at each other. Larry didn't miss that and a hint of jealousy washed over him.

"Can't you _see_ where you're _going_?!" Larry stood, hitting the table angrily. Piper put her hand up, she shook her head. The last thing she needed was Larry's incipit jealousy.

"It's _fine_." She said looking at Larry then towards the brunette who finally stood up from her crouched position. "It was an accident." She whispered out, finding herself starring at those green orbs.

"Let me get you a different shirt, i have one at the back." Alex finally spoke, a hopeful smile wondering on her lips. Piper stayed still silently starring. "It's the least I can do." Alex mumbled.

This was it Piper thought, her chance to get out. She thanked whatever god that made the brunette slip up because this was the perfect excuse to get out. She nodded her head, picking her things up. Alex bit her bottom lip nervously. She then took the lead and walked to the bathroom the blonde trailing behind her.

* * *

Piper was in the bathroom while Alex went to get her a different shirt. She was scrubbing roughly at the shirt she had though. As if it would do any good. She just wanted to keep her hands busy at the time. She was still slightly angry. She hated whenever anyone assumed she wasn't good enough to be a soldier just because she was a woman.

As if strength could be determined by gender. She knew many women who were stronger than men could _ever_ be. She didn't understand this insistent need for people to judge other people by their appearances. You can't judge a book by its cover. Everyone knows that. Yet, people still judge by the cover.

She sighed heavily, her head was spinning in circles. She was _exhausted_. She placed her fingers on her head and rubbed hard. Her other hand balancing her against the sink. She heard the door open and slight footsteps walking closer to her.

"You're welcome." She opened her eyes to see the brunette smirking slightly at her. Piper was confused, just a few minutes ago she looked like she was a nervous mess.

"You looked like you wanted out." Alex explained as she stretched her arms out, giving Piper her shirt. The blonde thought for a moment before she finally put two and two together. Alex had deliberately spilt the drinks on her.

" _And_ he seemed like an _asshole_." She shrugged. The blonde just silently stared. She was surprised how someone could be that observing. She didn't even know her. Yet, she could read her like an open book.

"Thanks." She said with a slight smile while she took her shirt.

" _Anytime_." She tucked her hands in her back pockets, a smile on her lips. Piper smiled back.

The blonde then proceeded to take her shirt off. She winced slightly when her bullet wound found a new source of pressure on it as she lifted her arm. Alex suddenly more alert rushed to the blonde.

" _Jesus_. Are you alright?" She asked, worry evident on her eyes. The blonde had her eyes crushed together. She bit her bottom lip for a second, breathed in then out.

"I'm fine." She mumbled out. Alex looked at the blonde then back to the wound.

"That _doesn't_ look fine." She protested. Piper opened her eyes and looked down on her disfigured flesh. It looked bad but it wasn't the worst.

"It's just a bullet wound." She brushed off. Putting on the shirt Alex gave her. The brunette raised her eyebrows.

" _Just_ a bullet wound?" She mimicked, impressed. "You're stronger than you look aren't you?" The words slipped out of her mouth. Piper stood still, she couldn't recall the last time anyone has ever described her that way.

She wanted to say something but nothing came to her, she was speechless. The door then abruptly opened. A short redhead walked in.

" _Alex_! Come on!" She yelled, her hands motioning her to move it. "You're on in 5." She said hurriedly before she noticed the blonde, she grinned at her best friend. Alex rolled her eyes. Nicky chuckled and left. She walked towards the door and turned at the last minute.

"See ya, _soldier_." She said with a warm smile. Piper felt her stomach burn. She remembered her. She smiled back. Words once again lost.

She gathered her things again and left the bathroom. She kept her eyes open, looking for this spectacular brunette. She found her by the bar, throwing bottles and catching them effortlessly. She smiled thinking back on how she deliberately messed up to help her escape.

The night took a slight turn for her and it was all thanks to that particular brunette. She smiled to herself leaving the bar content with her night. Alex watched as she left the club wondering when their next meeting could be. Or if they would ever see each other again.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:**

 **So, originally I planed on splitting this chapter into 2 but then decided against it. Tell me if you like where things are going and let me know if things are going at a respectable pace and i'm not moving too fast or too slow. Anyway enjoy the chapter until next time my lovelies.**

 **Btw, you should try reading this with some sort of music in the background, it really adds more emotion to the context. And, also this is not beta read so sorry in advance for any mistakes.**

* * *

A day had passed since the disastrous get together and for all those 24 hours Piper couldn't help but think about the tantalizing brunette she'd crossed paths with; not once but _twice_ in a row. The loss of contact suddenly foreign and unbarring. There was just something about those burgeoning green eyes. Something that just made you want to stare, like magnets pulling together by an unbreakable force.

She was laying on top of the covers of her bed. Starring intently at the white, blank celling. She had the bartenders shirt folded neatly beside her. For hours now; she'd been contemplating whether she should give the shirt back or not. As if it was a life or death decision. As if the whole world depended on it.

Multiple scenarios crossed her mind; her walking into the club and finding Alex but her not remembering her or returning the shirt only for Alex to dump it later. Who knows? Maybe she had some wired OCD tendency. How was she supposed to know right? All she knew was her name and where she worked, but that's more than nothing and a little over less than something.

She groaned grabbing a pillow from above her. She pressed it against her face and groaned louder. Why was it so _hard_ to make a simple decision over something so _intelligible_. This should've been an easy-don't-sweat-it choice. So, why? In havens name, _why_? Was it so difficult to make a _god_ _damn_ decision.

Maybe it was because of something that was creeping inside of her, something she knew was finding it's way to her but also something she _knew_ she wanted to ignore. Her curiosity be damned; this should be the _last_ thing on her mind. She was going back in less than 3 weeks. She was going back to the military. She didn't _need_ to start something she couldn't finish. It's not right. Not for _her_ and not for the brunette she seemed to be stressing over.

 _Then_ _again_ ; when did she ever listen to what was right or logic. She _was_ serving in the military. Any sane woman with a life like hers wouldn't have done that. But who ever said she was sane, maybe she was entirely _insane_. Maybe she liked the insanity and the less than logic life, cause sometimes life takes an unexpected wrong turn in the right direction.

She removed the pillow of her face sighing loudly. Maybe it was time to make that wrong turn. She was tired of waiting for the storm to pass, she wanted to dance in the rain. She only had a couple of weeks to do it before the storm reappeared again. She sat upright.

Oh what the hell? She had _nothing_ _else_ to do. She was nothing but a sitting duck in her brothers apartment while he went to work. Polly was busy probably punishing Pete for ruining last night, Nancy and Oliver are way along halfway to Seattle, Jack was probably in his own corner of the world, and she didn't want to spend her time with her ex fiancé or the square room she was currently sitting in.

She grabbed the shirt and stood up. She wore her shoes, pulled out any jacket she found and walked out the door before she could change her mind. What's the worst that could happen? She might as well use the time she had for something _right_?

* * *

The brunette and the redhead stood next to each other, facing one of Alex's paintings. The _biggest_ one actually. Alex had been working on it for nearly a _week_. She was still skeptical about it but for the most part she seemed almost content with it. Yet, they both stood with cynical eyes. Alex's head tilted to the side and Nicky's arms over her waist.

"Don't you think something's _missing_?" Alex asked, her insecurities surfacing.

" _Eh_?" She squinted her eyes, inspecting it more. "Maybe you need to add more colors?"

" _More_ colors?" She said with a startled voice. "The background it self is over 25 colors."

"I don't know Al, I just don't see the _X-factor_ in it." She shrugged. Alex grumbled, removing her glasses, and throwing her head back. She'd been having a little creative block lately.

"Hey, _hey_." Nicky reached for Alex's wrist. "I mean it's not _bad_ , it's really good." She tried to comfort her friend.

"But it's not _great_." She protested, placing her glasses back on. " _Good,_ gets you no where in the art business."

"Don't be such a _downer_ , Stretch." She patted her back. "The rest of your paintings are phenomenal, you'll know what to do when your mind wakes up from its slumber."

"Nicky, my show's _less_ than a _week_ from now. Who _knows_ how long my mind's going to be asleep for." She huffed out as she sat on the chair behind her.

" _Relax_ , something will come to you in the right time." She squeezed her shoulder and patted her back again. Alex sighed heavily, Nicky was right. When the time is right, it'll come to her.

" _But,_ for now," she stilled her hand on the brunettes shoulder. "I need you to get your sexy ass down to the club and keep my regulars happy." Alex glared at her boss.

"Do you _ever_ think about anyone other than yourself?" She asked annoyed. She was used to Nicky's selfishness but there was a time and place for everything.

"Uh _ya_ ," she said offensively. " _Didn't_ _you_ _hear_ _me_? I was thinking about my regulars not _me_." She smirked, Alex rolled her eyes.

She was used to it. Nicky's self-worshipping. It _was_ and _is_ a prime factor of her personality. Anyone who knew her, knew she was self centered. So, whenever she thought of you or made a sudden selfless deed for you, know that she _truly_ meant it and that she _truly_ _dose_ care for you. Not matter how little or big it was. Alex both loved and hated it.

Because she was the _extreme_ adverse of that. She was _nothing_ but selfless. Being raised by a single mother, she'd witnessed benevolence all her life. Her mother loved her to extreme measures and she taught Alex to love to extreme measures as well. She taught her to love _deeply_ and _faithfully_. She did nothing but that. Such a shame it bit her in the ass.

"Speaking of me caring about _others_ ," Nicky started as Alex stood up and walked to the door. "What's with you and this new _blonde_ _chick_?" Alex paused for a second. She fixed her jacket, her back still to Nicky.

" _What_ blonde?" She asked dully. The redhead smirked.

"Don't pretend you don't know what i'm talking about." She grinned harder when Alex shrugged.

"I _don't_ know what you are talking about." She opened her door and left her apartment, Nicky behind her.

" _Sure,_ you do."

" _No_ , I don't."

"You _do_."

"I _don't_."

" _Oh_ you don't?" Nicky said with a chuckle, Alex turned with an enormous huff once they were finally inches away from her car.

" _Nicky_." She seethed. Looking directly into her brown eyes.

" _What_?" She asked innocently. Alex shook her head and got into her car, Nicky followed.

"You _so_ like her." She blurted as she shut the door. The brunette stared at her in shock.

"I _barely_ know her." She reasoned.

"Doesn't mean you can't like her."

"I'm not even going to waist my breath arguing about this with you." She shook her head and started the engine.

"That's because you _know_ you like her." She mumbled to herself.

Alex catching her fumbled words, but she kept quiet and drove them to the redheads club. It was useless fighting with Nicky. Once she made a decision, she wouldn't change it. It's like she glued it with super special glue that was _terribly_ hard to rip off. Which was good for business and thus the reason for her _very_ successful club.

* * *

It was nearing 2 in the morning when Piper stood by the club doors mulling over her decision. Alex's shirt crippling beneath the palms of her hands. _Suddenly,_ she felt all nervous and sweaty. _Maybe_ this was a bad idea? She bit the inside of her lower lip. She never was good with choices. She felt a huge avalanche of doubt hit her all at once.

What was she doing back here? This was the third time she'd showed up here in the course of 4 days and during all those three days there was _one_ common factor. _Alex_.

She knew _nothing_ about this woman. So, why was she always gravitating towards her like they were _so_ _much_ in common. Like they were two ends of the same puzzle. All she knew was her name and where she worked. She didn't _even_ _know_ her second name or the _most_ basic things you'd need to know to gravitate towards someone.

She didn't know what food she liked or her favorite color, or if she liked her coffee black with no sugar like _she_ _did_. She didn't know what she did outside those club doors or if she even thought of her _at_ _all_ during the last 24 hours when they haven't made contact.

It was a long shot if she even _remembered_ her. Piper never felt like she was the type to be remembered. She felt more outside those lines. During most of her time earth bound; she felt invisible. It would be a miracle if she was _anything_ but to the brunette that seemed to fix herself into the blondes brain.

 _But_ _then_ _again_ ; she could be entirely wrong. Maybe she _was_ visible. Maybe the brunette _did_ remember her. Maybe she _did_ think of her in those lonesome twenty four hours and _Maybe_ she _did_ like her coffee black, with no sugar like she did. The only way she'd ever be able to determine that was if she sucked in all her insecurities and walked in with all that was left of her courage.

 _So_ , _eventually_. After a few more minutes of pondering whether she should walk in or not, her feet took advantage and took the couple of steps left to find herself in the bar. Time paused the second her feet ventured the club floors.

The music that was blaring loudly, nothing but muffled beats to the blonde as her heart raced. Her sweat pilling in her palms, her lips nearly bleeding from her rough bite. She was a nervous mess, more nervous than when she signed up for combat training which was saying something.

But _why_? That's the question that roamed in the air. _Why_? Why did Alex have such a grave effect on her? Out of the blue; _why_ was it _her_ of all people? She felt like the new school girl with a new school girl crush.

 _Yes_ , Alex was beautiful. _Gorgeous_ even, but Piper never went so low as looks to be the determining factor for her to liking someone. She normally needed a _long_ conversation or two in order to analyze and see if she liked the person. Not with this brunette though, _this_ _Alex_. She was something new, _different_. Maybe even unique. It was like she'd been hit with cupid's arrow and now all she ever thought about was the _infuriatingly_ gorgeous, bartending brunette.

Her eyes flickered around the club trying to spot the woman on her mind and just as she found her the lights turned off, the music stopped and everything was black. For a few fleeting seconds she actually thought she had passed out, she was _terribly_ wrong though cause once she was about to determine that _yes_ , she had _definitely_ passed out the lights flickered back on the music louder and Alex on top of the bar.

And _Damn_ , she was a sight for sore eyes. _Long_ _pale_ legs visible from her _entirely_ short shorts. Her hand held firmly against a pole, a devilish smirk plastered on her lips. That _damn_ waistcoat leaving _very_ little for the imagination. Piper's heart dropped to her stomach. _Never,_ had she seen anything so beautiful yet so _intoxicating_. Watching Alex's body do flips and turns so effortlessly was feverishly _tantalizing_ and tumultuously _toxic_.

She couldn't tear her eyes away, she slowly felt her lips dry and underwear turn wet. It's been ages since she's felt anything sexual like that. Her sex life had _basically_ been put on hold for over a year. She was _only_ now feeling how much she had _missed_ it. All thanks to this _beautiful_ , _gorgeous_ , _tantalizing_ , _bartending_ , _pole-dancing_ brunette.

Somehow in that moment she couldn't help but feel like this brunette was going to mess up her entire life; in a good way.

* * *

Alex had finally jumped of the table when their dance routine had ended. She'd collected about a good 200 dollars tonight. She was pretty happy with it. She was currently out of breath, her chest heaving _furiously_ trying to catch enough oxygen to breath like a normal person and not someone who ran a marathon. She could see Nicky approaching her with an _enormous_ grin.

"You might wanna catch all the oxygen you can get." She teased, Alex curled her eyebrows in confusion. Nicky gestured behind her best friend by the tilt of her head.

"Look what the cat dragged in." She said with a smirk.

Alex _still_ confused turned around only to find the blonde she thought she'd never see again approaching her. Her breath got caught up somewhere, _somehow_. _Screw_ oxygen, fate and destiny just slipped of its edges _again_. Her heart couldn't help but stop a beat. She couldn't do _anything_ but stand still. The only thing breaking her frozen state was her bosses rough pat against her back.

"Get that _Alex Vause_ charm out, or i'm going to ask her out for you." She whispered against her friends ear. Smirk still growing. Alex swallowed the lump in her throat heavily and walked to the edge of the bar as Piper walked to the other end.

 _They_ _met_ _in_ _the_ _middle_.

" _Hi_." Piper nervously chokes out. A shy smile lingering on her lips.

Alex chuckles realizing she wasn't the only nervous one here. She could have the advantage as soon as her _'Alex Vause'_ charm kicks in.

" _You know_." She began as she stared at the floor catching her final breath. "For a person who _doesn't_ drink, you sure step into bars pretty often." She smiled, locking gazes with the blue-eyed blonde.

Piper rubbed the back of her neck with a shy laugh. She _did_ remember her. She pulled out the shirt she had borrowed from her, which was probably drench in her sweat. Alex looked at it then back at the blonde.

"I came to give it back."

Alex smirked. She wasn't expecting to get it back. She couldn't help but think, for a soldier she was _really_ sweet. How could this sweet, _humble_ human being kill a bug let alone be at war. She knew it was such a stereotypical thought, and she knew the blonde was stronger than she seemed. So, she brushed off her corrupted thoughts. She took the shirt back, their fingers brushing at the edges. She smiled at the blonde who seemed to flush to the color red.

" _Thanks_." She said before silence crippled between them.

They stood there starring at one another, both at a loss for words. Nicky had been watching from a far. Alex _never_ had nothing to say, the redhead shook her head with a chuckle. Her best friend was _definitely_ having her first crush _all_ _over_ _again_. It's been a long time since she upped her flirting game. She'd forgotten how the game worked. Nicky made it her business to help her. She walked to her friend and wrapped an arm around her shoulder startling her.

"I see you met my friend, _Alex_." Her boss began, Alex's eyes widened, she knew what the redhead was doing and she didn't like it, not one bit.

" _Nicky_." She gritted through her closed teeth. The redhead ignored it and squeezed the grip around her shoulder harder.

"I'm Nicky by the way, I own this club. _And_ you are?" She asked a grin on her lips.

"Piper." She answered skeptically.

"That's a pretty name _right_ , Alex?" She smirked looking at her friend, her eyebrows raising and falling. Alex removed Nicky's hand from her shoulder and glared at her. She looked back at Piper with an apologetic look.

"Can you give me a minute?" She asked, Piper nodded. She smiled at her softly then pushed the redhead to the far end of the bar.

" _What_ are you doing?" She hissed looking at Nicky as though she was the dumbest person in the world.

"Getting you _that_ _date_." She hissed back.

"I can do that _on_ _my_ _own_."

" _Clearly_ , you can't." She held a chuckle. Alex lifted her glasses over her head.

"Would you _stay_ out of _this_?"

" _No_ , I won't. As your best friend it's my _duty_ to help you." Alex rolled her eyes, great _now_ she was being selfless. She groaned, she knew Nicky wouldn't let this go.

"At least let _me_ be the one to ask her."

"Sure thing, Vause." She said sarcastically, Alex shook her head and walked to the blonde again. Piper smiled up at her.

"So, you came all this way just to give me my shirt back?" She questioned a grin on her lips. Nicky's insolence long forgotten. Piper laughed softly.

"I wanted to thank you." She smiled. Looking into Alex's eyes like they were the only visible things on the planet. "For _the_ _other_ night." She clarified.

"It _really_ was nothing." She brushed off. "I _mean_ I _did_ ruin your shirt." She pointed out.

"I didn't like that shirt anyway." Her nerves suddenly cooled down. Alex looked at her with a knowing grin remembering the other night, it slowly faded away when she remembered the sight of her disfigured flesh.

"How's _your_ ," she cut herself as she pointed to her stomach. Piper was momentarily confused, she'd forgotten about her wound. Her hand followed Alex's and she instantly remembered.

"It's the same as always." She shrugged. " _Painful_ but _bearable_."

"Are you _always_ this _enduring_?" She asked admiringly. Her eyes twinkling with adoration. Piper felt her stomach churn. She didn't know how to answer that. The brunette always seemed to describe her in ways that drove her words weak. They fell into a whole of silence once again.

"You should stop by Alex's art show this Thursday." Nicky jumped in again. Ignoring what she'd promised her friend. "You won't regret it, her paintings are _amazing_."

She _knew_ Alex. She was gonna dance around this till their feet tire and they no longer want to dance. Till their paths never cross again and she regrets it. She didn't care if she got a mouth full from her, _at_ _least_ her best friend wouldn't suffer from a guilty conscience later. Alex's eyes grew bigger, her hands turn to fists. She was going to punch Nicky if she didn't stop talking.

"You _paint_?" Piper questioned astonished by the matter. Alex didn't exactly look like the type who painted. The brunette shook her head lowering her glasses back down.

"It's _nothing_ really." She timidly said. The redhead smirked.

"She's _lying_. She dose _phenomenal_ work." She patted Alex's back. "You _should_ come. It's just by the auction center down St. Mark's Place."

" _Don't_ listen to her." She stretched her hand over Nicky's mouth while she kept her eyes keen on the blonde. The redhead tried to escape her friends hand.

"she's _drunk_." Alex protested while she pushed the redhead slightly away.

"I _am_ _not_ drunk." She glared at Alex. When her mouth was finally free again.

"I'm actually _surprisingly_ sober." She smiled at Piper who was stifling a chuckle.

The banter between the two was _extremely_ heart felt. It normally was this way with the two. They were like kid brothers, the ones who always fight but stick together during the important times. You can only _be_ mean to someone you were comfortable with and _these_ _two_ were _more_ _than_ comfortable.

"I think I might like to come." The blonde smiled, her eyes flashing with curiosity and joy. Alex, blushed at the look the blonde was giving her. Before the brunette could say anything else, Pipers phone rang. She pulled it out, her brother was calling.

"I have to get this." She excused herself with an apologetic look. Alex nodded and watched as she disappeared between the emptying crowd and outside the club. The second she was out of sight she turned to her best friend and flicked her head hard.

" _Ow_!" She rubbed the back of her head.

"That's for not staying out of it." She rolled her eyes. Nicky snorted.

"Oh _please_ , you know you're happy I invited her to the show."

"I _can't_ even," Alex sighed out heavily walking away. The redhead rolled her eyes still rubbing the back of her head.

"She'll _thank_ _me_ later." She mumbled to herself before she went to help close the club up.

* * *

Not much longer after the blonde had left did Alex pick her bag up and walked outside the club. It had started raining, the droplets falling _thick_ and heavy. The only thing keeping her from getting wet was the small umbrella like awning in front of the bar entrance.

She sighed heavily. She didn't think about getting an umbrella, her mind had _totally_ blanked on that part. She suddenly regretted parking her car near the edge of the 24 hour supermarket. It was nearly 10 steps away. She could get drenched in a matter of _seconds_ and 10 steps were _respectively_ longer than that. But she didn't have a choice.

She sucked in a _very_ much needed breath, pulling her bag over her head. She ran the ten steps to her car. Pulled her keys out and fumbled for a few seconds before she finally pulled the door open and got in swiftly. She'd gotten slightly wet around the edges. She felt herself _shiver_ from the coldness of the wetness. She turned her car on, switching the heater on. She cupped her hands by her mouth and exhaled a warm breath.

For the few seconds her body took to cool down, she couldn't help but reflect on how her day had turned out. More _specifically_ ; she couldn't help but think about the blonde who seemed to walk into her life _so_ abruptly, with _no_ warning whether she'll be back or not. The anticipation of not knowing driving her _wild_ and leaving her wanting _more_.

 _Something_ about Piper; it was different than anyone she'd met before. It wasn't just about her being in the military, _although_ that was a common denominator, it was really something in her _eyes_. Whenever she glanced at it she couldn't help but get lost. There was a story there, a story that's _yet_ to be told. And it infuriated Alex because she couldn't read it. There was a lock on that book and the key was lost _somewhere_ deep in her ocean blue eyes.

She was a mystery yet to be uncovered. She seemed like a private person. It was going to be _hell_ trying to find that key. But somehow, Alex didn't mind it. In _fact_ , she was more than thrilled to dive into that _deep_ blue sea of hers. The only question left was, _will_ Piper let her drown in her ocean _or_ will she shove her to the shore?

Alex shook her head, ridding her mind of her thoughts and began her drive home. It had been almost half an hour when she stood at a red light. Her fingers drumming against the car wheel. She glanced around her window with _boredom_. Her eyes passed a standing figure only to flick itself back at it. That figure seemed _so_ familiar. _That_ blonde hair. It was _more_ than familiar, she knew only _one_ person with that blonde hair.

The red light had turned green without her noticing. Her attention surrounded that _still_ unmoving silhouette. The only thing to get her out of her transfixed state was the annoyingly _loud_ , obnoxious car honks behind her. Her grip on the car wheel faltered for a bit before she hit the gas pedal and drove at the _slowest_ speed possible trying to catch a better glimpse at the standing figure. Cars behind her passed swiftly by, swearing at her but the brunette ignored them.

* * *

The rain had been hitting against her skin for the better part of an hour. She couldn't go back to her brother's apartment. Not _now_. _Not_ when her mother was there, grilling her brother over her whereabouts. Someone had spilt the beans to her. Told her that she was back. _Who_? She didn't know and _honestly_ she didn't care anymore.

She didn't want to face Carol right now. For more reasons than _one_. She knew the look she'd find on her mother's face. _That_ worried look that could kill you. True her mother was sometimes wasp-y but she _did_ care. _Deep_ down behind her superficial plastic cover, she _cared_ more than she'll _ever_ admit.

And right now Piper knew her mother would be angry at her. She couldn't deal with anger at the moment. If she walked back home now, she'll be smothered into a hug then slapped for scaring her _dear_ , _poor_ mother. She'd understand both reactions. Her mother was old and tired. Having been through this before, she just couldn't handle going through it _again_.

She didn't give her mom enough credit for still standing after what happened to her father. Because in _all_ honesty, the _only_ reason Piper could still breath was because she'd found a way to distract her mind and _suicide_ was never an option. She loved living, she just didn't want the life she had. Or more _specifically_ she didn't want a life without her father.

But it's been years since that horrifying knock on her fathers door and it's been _years_ since her fathers disappearance. He was _dead_ , that's the ugly truth. Everyone knew it, everyone accepted it. _Everyone_ but her.

 _She was only 12 years old when it had happened. Her father had called 3 days prior, telling her that he had a surprise for her. She knew very well what that surprise was, still she acted with excitement because she truly was excited. He was coming home. He was coming back for her, like every other time. For 3 days she'd been on her toes, she'd answer every knock at the door even though she knew he wouldn't be back until a couple more days. It's just what the excitement did to her._

 _Little did she know, it wasn't like every other time. And when that knock finally arrived on a Sunday morning. She jumped from her place at the breakfast table, nearly knocking over her cereal._

 _"Piper Elizabeth Chapman!" Her mother yelled, her voice a clear warning for a coming punishment for her careless ways. Piper ignored it, her stifled giggles escaping with ease._

 _She'd rushed to the door, her brother was descending the steps by that time and he was about to reach for the door when Piper beat him to it._

 _"I'll get it!" She yelled with an enormous grin. Her brother rolled his eyes, he'd just woken up and he didn't feel like starting their usual banter._

 _"Whatever, dweeb." He lamely said walking the other way to the kitchen. Again, the little blonde ignored and soon after opened the door._

 _Her once enormous smile faltered and turned into a frown. Instead of finding her father behind the door, she'd found two soldiers. Both in the same army attire her father used to wear. Her heart began to race. She knew what this meant, everyone knew what this meant._

 _The two soldiers looked at each other with sorry eyes then looked back at the blonde with saddened expressions. One of the men had bent to her level, he removed his hat and looked into her ocean blue eyes._

 _Piper felt her heart drown to her stomach. No. She thought. No, no, no. She screamed in her head. This was not real she lied to herself. She closed her eyes shut trying to force herself to wake up, just like her daddy always said. If she ever found herself scared or in a bad place all she had to do was close her eyes and the monsters would go away. It didn't work this time. She felt a hand on hers._

 _"Is your mother home?" The soldier who had pressed his hand on hers asked. She couldn't respond, she couldn't hear anything. They were still there, the monsters still there. She blinked roughly again but they were still there as real as the day was._

 _"Piper?" Her mother had questioned from a far, she hadn't heard the usual giggling laughter and deep voice of her husband. She whipped her hands on her apron when her daughter didn't respond and walked the few steps to the door._

 _Her feet paused in its tracks once she laid eyes on her daughter standing frozen with built up tears on the edges of her face and two soldier by the door. One crouched to her daughter's hight the other standing stiffly. She rushed to the door once the image had registered into her eyes. The soldier who tried to calm Piper down had switched his sad gaze from the little girl to her mother, he stood up abruptly._

 _"Mrs. Chapman?" He questioned for reassurance, the other soldier took his hat off. They both held them by their chest. Carol had pulled Piper behind her, her arms clamped against the girls shoulders._

 _"Yes." She whispered out, her eyes flicking between the two men. The man who'd done most of the talking look to the ground before facing Carol again with an even sadder gaze._

 _"It's with my deepest apology," He began, Piper's grip had tightened on her mother's leg. Her mother barely held back her curse words. This was some cruel joke right._

 _"That the Front Litchfield Academy, regrets to inform you," he continued and at this point, Piper's throat constricted. Her grip tightened around her mother._

 _"That Sargent Bill Chapman," Carol shook her head. Her own tears building up._

 _"No," she whispered out, the soldier forced a breath out before he sucked in another one and let it out._

 _"Has been missing in action and is likely a causality of war." He finished and Piper suddenly let go of her mother's leg, her eyes open wide. She pushed her mother away, shock evident on her face._

 _"No!" She began as she shook her head, her tears falling down her cheeks. "No! You're wrong!" She yelled back at the soldier as if they were the cause for the loss of her father._

 _"My daddy will be back, he's coming back!" She stomped her foot on the ground, Carol placed a hand on her shoulder which Piper shrugged away._

 _"Piper," her mother barely got out, the blonde once again shook her head._

 _"No!" She yelled even louder. "He'll be back for me!" She almost screamed lying to herself and everyone around her. She wasn't going to listen anymore, she rushed past her mother who tried to grab her._

 _"Piper!" Carol called for her daughter but the little blonde just rushed up the stairs._

 _From that day on everything changed for her. She was no longer daddy's little girl because daddy no longer existed. She didn't believe it though. He was only missing. She'd stayed up nights after that repeating that fragile line, only missing, till those nights turned to months and those months turned to years and she no longer kept track. But still there was just a hint of hope that he may be out there somewhere. Yet it was a lie more than it was a truth._

The memory faded away, when she noticed a black car approach her, she whipped her tears away as if that did any good. The rain replacing her tears almost _instantly_. She'd lost track of time while she sat out there. She hadn't even noticed the rain till now and when the car approached she swallowed all that's left of her pride and _stood_ _still_.

The window gradually slid down from the passengers side as the car stopped. She felt like she'd walked into a puddle of quicksand when she recognized the figure that crouched forward to get a better view of her.

" _Piper_?" The person behind the wheel curiously voiced. Concern evident on her face. Piper was at a loss for words yet again. _How_ is it that this brunette showed up whenever she was _most_ vulnerable.

"Are you okay?" She asked again, her voice growing louder as the rain hit harder. The blonde still quiet. She didn't know what to say, she didn't _have_ anything to say.

"Do you need a ride?" Alex tried again. Her voice almost going horse from how loud she'd been yelling. Piper hesitantly looked left and right.

It's starting to rain harder. The night was getting darker, her clothes were drenched. Her hair an utter mess. She had _no_ place to go, _no_ where to be and _nothing_ to do. If she stayed under the rain she'd get sick and she didn't need _another_ thing added to her list of unwanted concerns.

So, she looked back at the brunette. For a split second she found her courage and her voice finally reappeared. She nodded.

" _Yes_." She whispered out, Alex barely caught on her quiet tone. She unlock her car door, bent over to flick the handle forward and open the door. Piper easily slipped inside.

Her body _freezing_ , her bones ached from the cold. Alex turned up the heater, Piper closed her eyes relishing in the heat. The tips of her fingers _ice_ cold. They were slowly melting as the heat registered in her body. The brunette could do nothing but stare, a simple question rising at the top of her head. _What_ was she doing out here? _in_ _the_ _cold_? _alone_? _late_? _after_ _midnight_?

"Where's your home?" Alex asked, she couldn't start driving if she didn't know where she was driving too.

The response she got was unexpected. The blonde just shook her head and swallowed a heavy spectrum that _barely_ got passed her throat.

" _Not_ home." She shook her head again. " _Anywhere_ but home." She still stared ahead.

The brunette drowning in worry. She could see the slight glint on her cheeks, the evidence of tears clear for her. _Something_ was upsetting the blonde and it's like Alex could _mirror_ her feelings because she herself suddenly felt sad _too_. She didn't wanna ask to many questions so she took it upon herself to switch that frown upside down, even if it was just a _slight_ switch.

She pulled of the side of the road and began to drive. The silence that roamed around them a sort of _comfortable_ silence. It wasn't deafening or discontented. It was adequate maybe even _delightful_. No words were exchanged throughout most of the ride, but Alex's eyes kept glancing back the at blonde. To make sure she was okay.

 _Although_ , she knew she was _far_ from okay. She just didn't want to be a burden or a ' _curious gorge_ ' and grill her with unwanted question. She wanted to make her feel better and asking her about what was wrong or explaining why she was this sad _would_ _not_ make her feel better. If _anything_ , it'll make her feel worse. Happening to have to deluge into that misery again. It was exhausting and _obliterating_.

Piper tried to avoid all her attempts to looking back at the brunette. She was still dazed by how this woman could _effortlessly_ interfere in her life. She felt herself twitch suddenly. The coldness still in her system. Alex didn't miss it, she looked back at the blonde for a split second before she put her attention back on the road.

"Are you cold?" Her fingers hovered over the AC controls.

Piper finally looked back at the brunette, who instantly turned to look at her with a warm smile on her face. The blonde shook her head. Alex nodded and pulled her attention back to the road. Piper stared out the window, her eyebrows frowned. She couldn't recognize the path they were taking. It was more _greens_ than _buildings_.

"Where are we going?" She asked as she curiously looked back at the driver. Alex smirked.

" _Relax_ , I'm not kidnapping you and _murdering_ you in the middle of a forest." She sarcastically said, she turned to the blonde who's eyes grew wide. The brunette chuckled.

"If you _must_ know," she began seriously, putting the blonde at ease. "It's this place i've always been to since I got my drivers license." She looked back at the blonde.

"It's somewhere you can _think_ and _breath_." She turned to the road again.

" _Away_ from civilization."

"You don't have to take me there, you know?"

"You _did_ say anywhere." The brunette pointed out with a smirk. " _Besides_ , you look like you could use a break from the world."

"Do you _always_ observe people so _intensely_?" Piper couldn't help but ask, she always seemed to know _exactly_ what she needed. She was curious to know if she'd done it to others before.

"Just the ones I like." She grinned, turning her attention to the blonde, who blushed the slightest bit.

She shifted in her seat and stared away shyly. She could hear the soft chuckle that escaped the brunette as she looked back on the road. Her stomach felt a tickle at _that_ sound. Alex took a final turn before the car stopped. It was at the edge of a beautiful cliff. The view of the city so _beautiful_ and _peaceful_.

The rain had stopped. The grey skies were disappearing. It was _amicable_. Almost _perfect_. She found herself awestruck. No words could describe how refreshing the sight was.

" _Beautiful,_ isn't it?" Alex elaborated, Piper _still_ stared ahead bewildered

"How'd you find this place?" She asked amazed, her eyes inspecting the beauteous figure in front of her.

"I was a _curious_ teenager." She chuckled out, keeping her eyes keen on the blonde.

"It looks so-"

" _Perfect_." She cut her off, the blonde looked back at Alex who was admiring the view.

"Yeah." She breathed out.

"That's because most things _are_ , from a far that is."

She said sadly, she turned to look at the blonde. "You can't see every faltered detail from up here, that's why it's beautiful."

"That's _not_ _why_ it's beautiful, that's just an _illusion_." She protested. " _Faults_ can be beautiful too." She reasoned, Alex could feel her lips turn into a grin.

" _Tell me then_ ," she turned in her seat to face her better, she pushed her glasses over her head. "How dose _someone like you_ end up in an army suit?" Piper froze at the question. It was the second time she'd asked her about it.

"I mean, I can't _for the life of me_ figure out how you got the courage to do it." She stared into her blue eyes. "It's _admiring_." The blonde blushed again, looking away. That was the first time anyone associated her entering the military with admiration.

"Thank you." She whispered out, shyly.

"You're not going to tell me, _are you_?" She questioned with a chuckle. Piper looked back at her, she bit her inner lip. She didn't know if she should just yet.

"It's okay, I get it." She brushed off. Shrugging her shoulder. "You don't have to tell me if you don't _want_ to."

" _You know_ ," Piper stared into the green orbs that rivaled the trees and grass around them. "You're the first person who actually thought about what _I_ wanted."

" _Maybe_ that's the hazards of being in the military, people just assume you'll put everything before yourself." She stared back into the blue eyes. " _Even_ , yourself."

"Yeah." Piper sighed out, she smiled genuinely. It was the first time she met someone who actually understood what it was like.

"There we go," Alex grinned. "That's the smile I've been looking for _all night_." Piper laughed softly, her smile growing bigger.

"I don't know about _you_ , but that's what _I_ call beautiful." She smirked, the blonde blushed. She licked her lips trying to find her voice.

"So, _tell me._ " she mimicked the brunette, who'd raised her eyebrows at the blondes sudden confidence. "How dose a _painter_ end up dancing on tables in bars?" She asked, the brunette chuckled, pulling her glasses down.

"I'll tell you, when _you_ tell me why you entered the military." She quipped back. Fair enough, Piper thought.

"How bout we skip the hard questions and jump to the fun ones?" The brunette smiled. "Tell me something about you."

" _Well_ ," she shrugged. "What do you wanna know?"

" _Everything_."

"Okay, _Umm_." She thought for a long minute. "My name's Piper Chapman, I'm 23, I work at the military-"

"No, No, _No_." Alex cut her off shaking her head and waving her hand away. "When I said everything, I didn't _mean_ everything I need to know about your _work_ _resume_." She chuckled as Piper bit her lip.

"By _everything_ I mean," she thought for a moment, starring at her car's ceiling then landing her eyes on the blonde with a smirk. " _Your quirks_ , your fetishes. What you like? What you don't? Your turn on's, your turn offs." She listed.

" _My quirks?_ " The blonde question with a slight chuckle.

"Yeah!" She nudged the soldiers shoulder playfully. "Like if you eat your Oreos with peanut butter?" The blonde scrunched, shaking her head.

"I _don't like_ Oreos." Alex gasped, her hand on her chest.

"You _don't_ like Oreos?" She said as if the blonde had offended her somehow. Piper giggled lightly. The brunette pouted her lips, her hand still over her chest.

"You _wound_ me." She dramatically said causing the blonde to giggle louder. She laughed along, till their laughs died down and they silently stared at one another. Both their eyes twinkling.

It's been ages since she had laughed so much in one day, she'd forgotten how breath taking it can be or how _enlightening_ it could get. She suddenly felt like a _lightweight_ , _so_ carefree and at ease. For those few seconds of laughter she'd forgotten _all her_ _worries_. When she finally caught her breath she fixed her gaze at the brunette, her lips still a sparkling mirth.

"I'm more of a _Twinkies_ kind of girl." She expressed with a sigh.

"Now you're just being _mean_." Alex feigned hurt, which caused piper to giggle again.

"What else do you _irrationally_ not like?" Alex pushed her glasses over her head again, getting a better look at the blonde.

"Mangos." She shivered as she scrunched her face in a disgusted manner.

" _Mangos_!?" Her voice heavily supported shock. " _Are you sure_ your taste buds are working fine?" Alex asked sarcastically. Piper chuckled.

Conversation flew easily between the two, they'd lost themselves talking for almost 4 hours. The sun had begun to rise and they barley even noticed. Their minds and eyes transfixed on each other and what they were saying.

Piper had never laughed so much in her life. She felt so free under the wings of Alex Vause. Time had never passed so quickly. Her eyes kept gleaming at the brunette with every story she shared. Piper listened _intently_ , subconsciously registering every little detail into her brain. The brunette was _extremely_ funny and no doubt charming.

Her voice was a beautiful symphony Piper never wanted to stop listening to. So calm and casually collected with a hint of sarcasm every now and then. She couldn't recall any person in her life like that. Alex was _exceptionally_ different. Unique in all the best ways.

She'd learned so much about her in just _four fleeting_ hours. It's like she began to draw her outline and all that's left was to fill in the missing colors. Alex found herself doing the same.

Once they deemed it late enough; or in this case _early enough,_ Alex began to drive the blonde back to her home. The soft conversation kept flowing like water in the river till the car slowed down and finally made a stop in front of Piper's brother's apartment. She was catching her breath at the moment, her laugh slowly dying down as Alex bore at her like she was the only thing she could see.

" _So_ , throughout this entire time _I know_ that you _don't_ like Oreos," Alex pointed at her with her index finger, beginning to list of the things she'd learned.

" _And_ you _hate_ Mangos, _and_ you like your Coffee _black_ with _two_ sugars." She smirked at the blonde as she continued on. Her fingers still listing. "You keep your books in alphabetical order, your clothes separated by color, you listen to _death metal_." She said with utter surprise. "And your favorite perfume is a _300 dollar bottle_ from Saint Lauren." She finished off looking at the blonde who was currently nodding.

"I'd like to know _more_ about you." She grinned, her eyes examining her intently. Piper blushed.

"I _think_ you've learned _enough_ for one day." She said looking away from the brunette who chuckled.

"Says the girl who _forced_ me to tell her _all_ about my _entire_ childhood." Piper laughed.

"I _must_ say, you have a _very_ interesting childhood." Piper scrunched her eyebrows with a smirk. "I _never_ would've pegged you as the girl who'd join a _glee club_." She laughed slightly at the remembrance of the story Alex told her.

" _In my defense_ , my mother feared I'd become an isolated child and glee club was the only club that didn't require _extra cash_ on the school fees." She explained again causing Piper to erupt in laughter once more.

"I'd _love_ to met your mother." She let out as her amusement died down.

"I'm sure you two would bond easily." She said with a chuckle.

Silence slowly entered their territory as they both relished in the ending for their time together. Pipers eyes swiftly fell onto the clock above the radio. It read 6:15am. She hadn't even felt it being this long since they were together. Being with Alex, it felt like a breath of fresh air. Like she finally found oxygen in a place that didn't have any. She smiled, her day had definitely taken a 360 degree turn all thanks to this tantalizing brunette once again.

" _Thank you_." She breathed out looking into Alex's emerald eyes. "I _really_ needed this."

"No need to thank me. Take it as a gift for serving our country." Alex smiled softly.

"Your different than I expected you to be." The blonde suddenly blurted out.

" _And_ how'd you expect me to be?" She asked with a shit eating grin.

"I don't know, _normal_ I guess." She shrugged. "Like everyone I've met before _but_ ," she took a moment to really look at her. " _You're not_."

"I _hope_ that's a good thing."

"It is." She nodded with a smile. They were once again stuck in silence. Neither one wanted their time to end, but all good things must come to an end. So, Alex sucked in a breath and looked at the blonde.

" _About_ my show," she began. "You _really_ don't have to come." Piper watched the rare nerves she'd seen over the couple hours crawl into the brunettes skin.

"Nicky was just being a best friend." She explained.

"What do you mean by that?" She frowned her brows at the statement. Alex blushed looking away.

"She thinks I might like you or _something_." She brushed of like it was nothing, mostly because she knew it could be something. Or more than something _actually_.

"But _really_ if it's a bother you don't have to come." She informed again. The blonde just smiled, finding this flustered side of Alex adorable.

"It's not a bother," she said with a smile opening the car door, something came over her at that very moment and she didn't really know what it was but she leaned forward and pressed her lips against the brunettes cheek.

Alex felt a sudden tingle spring through her flesh. Her glasses had fumbled from its place, Pipers lips were cold but _soft_. _So_ soft like brand new silk covers. She couldn't help but close her eyes and _enjoy_ the simple touch. Piper pulled away slightly, her eyes twinkling with mirth. Alex flickered her eyes open watching the blonde gently leave her car.

"I'll see you this Thursday _then_." She said, her hand placed loosely on the brunette's car door. It took Alex about 30 seconds to walk back into reality. She nodded with blushing cheeks.

Piper smirked, _finally_ the rolls were reversed. The blonde chuckled and closed the door but before she could walk away, the brunette rolled her window down and yelled out.

"See you around, _Soldier_." A smirk freshly placed over her blushing cheeks. Piper couldn't help but smile one last time as the brunette left slowly disappearing into the streets. Until they meet again. The blonde thought as Alex's car washed away into oblivion.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:**

 **Sorry for the late update, but it is a long one! I hope you enjoy it, I didn't beata read this properly so sorry in advance for any mistakes you come across. Please leave a review if you are liking it so and if you're excited for the next chapter, which will be updated hopefully sooner. =]**

"And she's the _same_ person who spilt her drinks on you the other night?" Polly asked, a slight smirk venturing on her lips. The soldier nodded, biting her lower lip.

Polly plastered a knowing look on display for Piper, who was easily supporting dreamy eyes. She was sprawled out on her brother's couch while he was at work. Polly had kindly offered to take a day off her job to keep her company. She sat on the single chair in front of her best friend.

The blonde had come clean about the night before. She'd kept a smile on her face all throughout her story telling. Time and time, she dived into the couch, shoving her face into a pillow, just reliving last night in awestruck. She was half dazed and without a doubt floating in her own world. Playing the few hours she'd spent with the brunette over and _over_ , like she was some lovey-dovey teenager having her first crush. It's like she inhaled some drug she _just_ couldn't get enough of.

"Polly, her _eyes_ ," she sighed, closing her own eyes and recalling those amazing, green emeralds. "They were like," she paused trying to find her words.

"Drop-dead _gorgeous_ , and _so_ green." She grinned, her cheeks hurt from smiling. Polly smirked and flushed down the rest of her drink before she tilted her head.

"She _is_ pretty hot."

"She's _beautiful_." The blonde sighed out as if it was such a difficult thing to register or find.

"I've never seen you this infatuated in a long time." Her friend smiled, happy for her. Piper hummed in satisfaction, the brunette had definitely charmed her way into her heart.

"But you leave in nearly _2 weeks_ , Pipes." She reminded her, a sad realization overwhelming the blonde.

"I _know_." She sat upright, her dreamy state rendered into reality. "Is it bad that I still want to start something?" She looked at her friend for her opinion. Polly gave her a warning glance.

"I mean, we _could be_ just friends." She reasoned quickly.

"I don't know if it's _bad_." She shrugged. "But, _just friends_?" She tilted her glass in Pipers direction. "I know for a fact that, _that_ won't be the case."

"We _can_ be _just_ friends." She insisted causing her friend to chuckle.

"Pipes; _look_ at yourself." She pointed at her fleshed body, her cheeks flushing red. "You're _blushing_ just _thinking_ about her." Piper looked away biting her inner lip.

"And _you_ initiated that kiss on her cheek, _remember_?" She reminded the blonde. "What's she goanna think when you suddenly want to be _'just friends'_?" Piper turned to look at her, her offenses on full mode.

"That's not fair," she defended herself. Polly raised her eyebrows. "She has _very_ kissable cheeks." She poorly reasoned.

"I don't know, Pipes." She gave her a warning look, shaking her head slightly.

Piper sighed heavily. She knew she was playing a dangerous game when it came down to Alex. _Yet_ , she couldn't stop. She no longer controlled herself; her emotions did. That's the thing about dangerous things, it _demands_ your attention whether you want to give it or not.

You lose control when you find something you like. And that's what was happening to Piper, she was _losing_ control. She was slowly slipping into that dark whole under ground. Gravity and all its forces working against her, against what she really wanted but couldn't exactly have.

 _Actually_ , she could have it. But, it just wasn't much of a rational choice to have it. It was _exactly_ the opposite. It was the wrong choice to make but it was also the most _irresistible_ one. They clearly have a connection that can't be faked or bought. That rare connection that comes around maybe only _once_ in a lifetime or _twice_ if you were lucky.

It was both a blessing and a curse. A curse because you get lost in it. You lose yourself without even realizing it, till it's _too_ late to recognize; and a blessing because you'll never feel anything like it again. A feeling _so_ rare and unique it would be worth millions.

The soldier was easily caught up in that blissful curse. Alex was a dilemma she didn't _even know_ could exist. She'd never been so torn. She wanted to form some kind of relationship with the brunette but at the same time she _knew_ it wasn't _just_ some kind of relationship she wanted. She wanted the real deal, the full package but she knew it was a dump thing to want.

Considering her choice of profession, Alex would be giving her what she wanted but she would be getting nothing in return. Or at least nothing she thought the brunette might want.

"I need another drink." Polly voiced, breaking Piper's lucid thoughts. The blonde nodded and watched as her friend got up to pour herself something to drown in.

Her mind couldn't help but rewind back to their conversation. _Just friends._ That's what they could be, if they worked hard enough. They could be just friends. But, was that really what she'd _settle_ for?

* * *

Nicky had been humming an irritable tune as she walked out the elevator of her best friends apartment. Her earplugs ventured deep in her ears, music thumbing loudly against her eardrums, she might as well have been in her own concert.

She played with her iPod at hand, throwing it and catching it. She bent by Alex's door matt, picking up her spare key, not even bothering to knock or ring the bell, because the brunette had been ignoring her calls and Nicky could only associate it with one of two reasons.

 _One_ ; she was probably conversed in her own world with a new painting and headphones playing just as loudly as hers were. _Two_ ; she was fast asleep. And since it was still almost 12 in the afternoon, she thought it was most likely the second reason.

She unlocked the door, placing the key on a near by stand as soon as her feet stepped foot into the apartment. Her eyes examined the tiny space that was poorly addressed as the living room before she barged into Alex's bedroom. She smirked, pulling her headphones out.

 _There_ , the brunette lay haphazardly on the bed, an arm and a leg dangling of its' sides. Slight snoring emitting from her nose and partially opened lips. She had on last nights clothes, which could only mean she had one _hell_ of a night, if she couldn't have enough energy to spare a few minutes to get changed into a much more comfortable attire, it must've been one tiring night. The redhead slammed Alex's still jeans clad ass hard, startling her awake.

"Wake-y wake-y, sleepy head." Nicky sang as she moved around the bed and jumped on it, harshly shaking the brunette awake.

" _Jesus_ , Nicky." Alex groaned out, rubbing the side of her head. She turned to her bedside table and picked her glasses up, slowly registering that it was time to wake up.

She sat upright then looked at her friend beside her, who was supporting a smirk that could only be described as bigger than her face. The brunette rolled her eyes and got of the bed.

"What happened last night?"

A certain thickness fell upon the air the second Nicky's question was voiced. Alex immediately had a prolonged slideshow of the night before and it's _breath-taking_ events.

" _Nothing."_ She simply said, although she was smiling like a love struck teenager. The redhead caught on the smile on the corner of the brunette's lips. Nicky froze for a second examining the smile foraged on Alex's lips before shifting violently.

" _Bullshit."_ She protested and crawled to the edge of her bed. "Come on, _spill_!" She ordered. Alex couldn't help but giggle at a memory of the blonde. It infuriated Nicky because she didn't know what her friend was all so smile-y about.

"I _umm_ ," she began, her eyes shyly starring at the ground as she tried to find the appropriate words to describe last night.

"I _kind_ _of, sorta, almost, maybe_ went on a date with Piper." She bit her lip and looked at her friend with a flushed expression.

Nicky starred at her like someone was trying to pluck her eyeballs out. It's been over a year since Alex had been on anything even remotely close to a date. So, _this_ was news to her.

"You _, what_?" She questioned again.

"You _heard_ me." Alex said, a smile still plastered across her face.

She pulled out some new clothes and walked into her bathroom. She left the door open. Nicky climbed of the bed and stood by the bathroom door, her arms crossed over her chest, a thoughtful look on her face.

" _How_ do you _not_ _know_ if it was a _date_ or _not_?" She half yelled for her friend to hear her. Alex came out dressed in new clothes. She looked at Nicky and shrugged.

"I mean, it wasn't a casual dinner and a movie _but_ we _did_ talk for hours." She paused zoning out in her own memory again.

An image of Piper laughing at one of her childhood stories rushed to her mind, her blue eyes that never twinkled so brightly before. Her _god damn_ beautiful smile, that was one in a million.

" _And_?" Her boss interrupted her thoughts; she raised her eyebrows to her forehead waiting for the rest of the story.

" _And,_ what?" Alex had forgotten momentarily what she was supposed to be answering, the soldier's memory still floating at the back of her mind.

"You _talked_? That's it? _That's_ your big date?" She questioned disappointed.

"What do you mean?" The brunette scrunched her eyebrows. "Isn't that what people _do_ on first dates?" She shrugged.

" _Ya_ , if you were _twelve_." She whipped.

"I don't think twelve year olds go on dates, _do they_?" Nicky shook her head at the useless question and continued on her interrogation.

"Did you kiss her?"

" _No."_ Alex immediately answered.

"Did _she_ kiss you?"

"N-" she paused. Suddenly the feeling of Piper's lips on her cheek rushed into focus. She raised her fingers to her cheek, blushed at the memory.

" _Oh my god_ , she kissed you!?" Nicky's excitement had returned on full force, but Alex knew it wasn't exactly the kiss Nicky had been anticipating for.

" _Not like that_!" She punched her shoulder playfully immediately stopping Nicky's more than inappropriate thoughts.

"Then, it was not a date." She finalized her theory.

"People don't actually have to kiss on first dates."

"People _like us_ do."

"You're _impossible_." The brunette rolled her eyes.

It was so typical of her friend to give her, her input in everything that had to do with her love life. Then again, that's what best friends were originally for, _right_? They were those people who were close enough to be sisters but far enough to share things with them that even _sisters_ don't.

Alex pulled out a jacket from her cupboard; she put it on as she fixed her messy hair combing it with her fingers.

"What time is it anyway?" She asked, out of the blue. Nicky picked her phone out of her pocket and clicked at the lock screen.

"1:15." Alex's eyes widened, she quickly picked up her phone, keys and car keys.

" _Fuck."_ She hissed. The redhead trailed behind her.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm late, I'm _so fucking_ late." She pulled her door open almost pulling it off its hinges. " _Shit."_

"Late for _what_?" She shut the door behind her and rushed after Alex.

"I'm _supposed_ to be picking my mom up, she's flying in from Boston. Her plane arrives at 12:30 _or arrived_." She hurriedly explained while she pressed the button for the elevator multiple times.

"You _do know_ pushing it more than once continuously in a row isn't going to make it move faster, _right_?"

"This is _not_ the time for your _incipit_ jokes, _Nicky_." She hissed, pushing her glasses back further into her nose.

"Man, Mama Vause is goanna be _so_ mad." She ignored her friend's request and snapped her fingers as she bit her lip.

The elevator ding saving her from Alex's very well prepared punch. She rushed into the lift and hit the ground level, her stomach doing flips and turns she really wished didn't. Diane was going to _kill_ her. _Actually_ , she's going to kill her and bring her back to life, _just_ so she can kill her again. _Preferably,_ in cold blooded murder.

* * *

Alex had just picked up her mom from the airport coffee shop. Diane had been waiting for her daughter's arrival for the better part of an hour. She was quite mad but her anger had subsided the second she'd seen the brunette rush through the automatic doors. They embraced in a _warm_ , _breath-taking_ , _oxygen-sucking_ , _life-longing_ hug.

Due to their working conditions, they couldn't see each other as often as they would've liked. _Although_ , Diane didn't need to work as often as she did now, she wanted to keep that part of her life constant. It was the only thing grounding her now that Alex was all grown up. She wasn't that little girl who asked for more coloring pencils on her twelfth birthday anymore.

She was _a woman_ , a woman finding her way in this cruel world. _Still_ , didn't mean she never reverted back to that twelve-year-old girl who only wanted coloring pencils and a _long_ cuddle in bed. She may carry the Vause name high on her shoulder but she was _just_ as fragile as most people were.

 _More_ fragile actually, she was a reconciled broken mirror, there were still bits and pieces scattered around, _missing_. No one had enough guts to pick them up; _knowing_ they'd probably slice themselves doing it. She was _dangerous_ and _hazardous_ just as much as she was shatter-able.

They were seated in Alex's car, her mother riding shotgun and Nicky sitting at the back seat. Her head was popping between mother and daughter an amused smirk on her lips as Diane threw a hissy fit about her daughter's punctuality and how it was turning as useless as dust, over the years.

" _Now_ ," she huffed out, fixing her shirt and brushing the few hairs that stranded on her face away.

"Tell me again, _exactly_ how did you manage to oversleep on _the_ exact day your mother was coming to visit you." Alex rolled her eyes; this was typical drama-queen Mama Vause.

"It was personal, mom."

" _Nothing_ is too personal for the person who gave you life." Her mother informed as a matter of fact. "For _fuck's_ sake, _Alexandra_. You came out of my _vagina_ , _nothing_ gets more personal than _that_."

Nicky snickered quietly, holding in her laughter. She couldn't help it; it was like watching a seven-year-old Alex getting caught for staying up at night watching ridiculous porn movies. Alex glared at her from the rear view mirror. The redhead shrugged her shoulders and grinned louder. She leaned towards Diane.

"I think it had something to do with _a certain_ blonde." She coughed out. The brunettes eyes widened, that was not information Nicky could just throw away.

" _What_?" Her mother looked at her with shock.

Thankfully they had stopped at a red light. Alex turned in her seat and attacked her annoying, _mouth-blabbering_ best friend with pinches so hurtful they compared to a knife's blade.

" _Ow! Ow!_ Al!" She complained flying deeper into the back seat, Alex attacking her like a bear jumping out of a cave.

Her mom interfered when eventually the red light turned green. She smacked Alex into focus and starred at her wearily.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Her mother asked in that emotionally reckless way, her eyes boring into her daughters. Silence crept upon them for a few seconds.

"What's her name?" She asked, getting directly into the matter at hand. The bartender sighed heavily; her fingers tighten around the steering wheel before releasing in relief.

" _Piper_." She whispered with a small smile at the corner of her lips.

"And what dose _this_ infamous _Piper_ do?"

"She works for the military," Alex said like it was nothing, both Nicky and her mom looked at each other with a surprised look.

" _Woah_ , wait, _back up_." The redhead bobbed her head back to the center of the two women. " _The military_?"

" _How_ the _hell_ dose something like _that_ happen?" Her mother entered the interrogation.

"I-I don't know actually." She whispered out, her smile faltering a bit.

" _Well_ , do you _like_ this Piper?" Her mother questioned, her eyebrows arose to the brink of her forehead as she waited for an answer.

"I don't know."

"Oh for _heavens sake_ ; _what_ do you know, _Alex?_ " The older Vause retorted with an eye roll.

"I _know_ that I have _certain feelings_ for her."

" _Ya_ , certain _sexy_ feelings if you ask me." Nicky, jumped in the middle of the conversation with a smirk ready at hand.

"I'm not ready to determine that." She lashed; the redhead gave her " _the look_ ". Alex ignored it and paid more of her attention to the road.

"I don't like this girl." Her mother arrogantly said, shaking her head.

"You haven't _even met_ her, mom."

"She made you pick me up late. I don't have to _meet_ her to know I despise how she makes you impractical." Diane brushed off.

"I've _always_ been impractical." She felt like she had to defend Piper in a way. Her hands slip slightly from the steering wheel, from her nerves.

"I actually think if you gave her a _chance,_ you _might_ like her."

A smile danced on the young brunettes face as she imagined her mother and Piper laughing with each other and teaming up against her. Even if it was _too_ soon to be thinking that way, she just couldn't help but feel like it was somehow going to happen, like it was in someway _inevitable_.

"We'll see." Her mother finally voiced, ending the conversation. After a couple minutes, she smiled extremely largely.

" _So_ , about your _spectacular_ show this Thursday." Her mom began with a smirk. Alex chuckled.

The topic from Piper to her Art show had shifted easily. It was a relief honestly; Alex wasn't the type of girl to volunteer in expressing her emotions. If _anything_ , you'd have to drag her emotions out with pitchforks and knives at her neck.

Nicky was a pro at that, she knew where Alex's buttons were and she could easily let her spill the beans on anything with the right button. Diane was a little _more_ lenient, she liked to let Alex do it her own way, come to her when she was ready.

Alex may not have the world's riches at the palm of her hands but she had Nicky and Diane; together they seemed like a close second to the seven world wonders even _greater_ than _any_ of the world's riches.

* * *

Thursday had befallen on them sooner than expected. Alex was sweating like a pig as she stood in front of her art gallery. She wore a black strapless dress and heels the length of Mount Everest that she definitely regretted wearing. Her hair done in an up-do with two streaks fallen on either side. She looked _incredibly_ sophisticated and _undoubtedly_ beautiful.

She was expecting nearly fifty people to show up. Ten of them critics, but all she could think of was _one_ person. _Piper._ She'd been thinking about her pretty often lately. _Anything_ she did the blonde seemed to pop in her brain automatically. She could not _for the life of her_ get that _one night_ of her mind.

She'd realized about halfway through a conversation with her mother, that she'd never asked the blonde for her number. She hadn't felt _so stupid_ before. She knew where she lived; _yet_ she didn't know her number. How _idiotic_ was that?

Anyway, that's what led to her _current dilemma_. She had no guarantees whether the soldier would show up or not and not knowing was _intoxicating_ , she couldn't sleep, she couldn't eat, she couldn't drink. To top it all off, her nerves were messing with her in ways that could _never_ be forgiven. It drained her _restless_.

Every painting hung on the walls of her gallery she felt skeptical of. _Suddenly_ , she felt that all her work could be resembled to a first grader's coloring pad. She couldn't be more further from the truth though, because her work was _more_ flawless than Mona Lisa. _Yes_ , it was _that_ good.

She felt a hand on her shoulder once she took the liberty to stay still in one spot. She turned around and her eyes were greeted with her mother's soft smile and twinkling proud aroma.

"You _need_ to relax, baby girl." She said softly. Alex smiled a slight bit of confidence refilled in her.

"I know." She sighed out.

"Your work is more than amazing, Hun." She let her hand move to her daughters and caress it softly.

"You have _nothing_ to be nervous about." The younger brunette chuckled nervously despite what her mother had told her.

"I have _everything_ to be nervous about." She admitted, her fingers fumbling with each other.

She looked to the ground and took a heavy breath. Her mother watched her intently. She knew Alex was nervous for more reasons than _one_. She could see it in her eyes. And she knew _exactly_ what the second reason for her frazzled state was. She smiled warmly at her when the brunette finally fixed her gaze in her mother's eyes.

"This is about _her,_ isn't it?" Alex shifted slightly. Why was this girl affecting her so much?

"It's not _just_ her." She admitted. "It's _everything_ , I mean what if the critics don't like my work? What if not enough people turn up? What if _she_ doesn't show up? What if I'm not good enough for the business? And what if I fail? _What_ do I do then?"

She began to exhale her nervousness, her breath running out from the continuation of her useless talking. Her mother placed two hands on her shoulder and squeezed it hard. She looked into her eyes.

" _Alex."_

"Sorry." She mumbled, looking away.

"Get your shit together." She warned her daughter who finally took a huge breath and let it out.

Here's to the beginning of a _very_ eventful night.

* * *

Piper was applying the last of her make up while Cal lay haphazardly on her bed playing candy crush, like it was some important mission that should be taken seriously.

" _So_ , you're really going?" He asked as soon as he won the level he'd been on.

Piper looked at herself in the mirror. An image of Alex's smile flashed on the surface of her eyes for a second before a slight grin played on the corner of her lips.

"Yeah." She breathed out. Her brother could see the obvious infatuation that painted her face. He sat upright.

" _What_ could this girl have _possibly_ done to get you like this?" He asked out of nowhere. The blonde paused for a while; she looked at him through the mirror.

"I _wish_ I _knew_." She whispered. Cal smirked getting off the bed.

"Well, you look _really_ good." His smirk still plastered on his lips, His sister rolling her eyes at it.

"Just remember, Pipes." He began with a slight sad smile. "You go back soon."

Piper sighed. Yes, she knew that. She knew that _very_ well. Only fourteen days left of her time off. She needed to use that time _wisely_. Her brother had warned her, Polly had warned her. It's _two weeks_ only that's left.

Could she start _something_? Could she _do that_ to Alex? What if it was all a stupid mistake? What if it _wasn't_? What if it was a one-time thing? What if it wouldn't last? What if it _would_?

There were _so_ many what-ifs, _so_ many questions, _so_ many that couldn't be answered. She had limited time. That's what she originally wanted. Limited time. _But,_ half way through her time here she found something that might actually make her want to stay, something that might make her want to answer these unanswered questions. Something that might actually make _reality_ feel like a dream. And a _damn good_ dream it would be.

 _What was that_? How could a girl she met in a bar at 3 am give her all these feelings? A _thousand_ feelings emitting from one, single, fleeting, intoxicating, intense, beautiful, gorgeous and breath-taking woman; _One_ woman, a _thousand_ feelings and _no_ explanation _whatsoever_ as to how it came about.

But she _liked it_ , how _uncontrollable_ it was. It was mind blowing, a miracle of its own, _something_ that couldn't be _just anything_. No, it was _entirely_ everything. Or _at least_ it was slowly becoming everything.

How could she ever come back from this? If she were to pursue _this_ , _whatever_ she was feeling. _How could she come back_? It was a one-way road and she had two lanes to pick from. It was a _predicament_ on its own standing in front of the two lanes. Guess she'll never know until she tries.

She sighed heavily applying the last of her makeup. She smiled at herself content and proud of how she looked. She turned to face her brother as she straightened her knee length dress. It was a beautiful blue backless dress.

" _So_?" She asked nervously. Cal smirked.

"If you weren't my sister, I'd bang you." He said causing Piper to make a disgusted face while giggling.

Her brother laughed along and walked up to her. He kissed her cheek. Piper smiled letting him be the bear-hugging brother he was. She had _a lot_ to thank him for. _Especially_ lately, with him keeping their mother off her back. She knew she had to deal with it at some point _but for now_ she had other plans to be dealt with.

"I _hope_ for you sake," he began placing his hand on Pipers bicep. "You know what you're doing." He told her with a squeeze then left her room, a slight smile still plastered on it.

She stood there for a couple of minutes. _Oh, Cal_. She had no clue _whatsoever_ to what she was doing. It could easily be the most clueless she'd been in her entire life.

* * *

It was around Alex's fourth cup of wine did she start doubting that the blonde might not show up. _Currently_ , the gallery was almost packed. She was completely surprised by the turn up and not to mention _how many_ critics came up to her telling her it was a phenomenal beginning and were hoping to see more.

 _Nothing_ could've been better, the attention her abilities got were off the charts. _Yet_ , she still felt something missing. The critics, her paintings, the work she'd spent months on; _none_ of it mattered. Not right now.

It was a _stark_ contrast compared to what her life was before the blonde. _All_ she cared about were her paintings. It almost scared her how fast her feelings for this blonde were growing. It was like she was in a race that she was winning _with ease_.

Her eyes roamed around the room once more, she'd spotted her mother chatting up to one of the critics and Nicky helping herself at the snack table. She chuckled at that. _Only Nicky_ would spend an evening at an Art gallery chewing on pink shrimps and nachos. She smiled and carried on the journey her eyes had taken.

She _was not ready_ for what they had landed on next. Right from across the room, across the sea of people, in walked the blonde her brain _could not stop_ thinking about.

For a split second, the _whole world_ stopped turning. She couldn't breath. She couldn't move. It was like a fuse had _combusted_ in he, all her body _just frozen,_ _still._ Piper looked _breathtaking_. The dress she wore leaving very little for the imagination, the heels that accompanied the dress, _phenomenal_. Almost all heads turned in her direction and for _good reason_.

The blonde seemed flustered, her cheeks slightly turning pink and it _was not_ the blush of her makeup. Alex could catch the slight tremble in her hands when she tried to clutch her bag tighter. The soldier seemed to be looking for a familiar face.

The brunette snapped out of her transfixed state when a waiter passed her, she quickly placed her glass of wine and walked towards the blonde, pulling herself together. But the closer she got to the blonde, _the shakier_ she became; her stomach turning upside down, her knees growing weak. Piper was _easily_ the _most_ beautiful scenery in the entire gallery. _Better_ than any of Alex's pieces.

Piper had finally spotted the brunette she'd been looking for since she stepped foot into the gallery, her heart jumping at a sickening speed. Her lips _automatically_ took control of themselves, a smile stretched across her face. And _, just when_ Alex thought she couldn't be more intriguing, a smile _like that_ appears and changes the entire meaning off intriguing.

" _You came_." The brunette breathed out. Piper stared at the floor, her blush boiling red. She looked back up her dimples so deep in her cheeks.

"I thought it wouldn't be _wise_ to disappoint, Nicky." She joked. It was a good way to start the evening. Alex chuckled.

"You weren't even _a little_ curious to see my work?"

"Maybe. _Maybe_ not." She smirked.

"And here I thought you were coming for _artistic_ prepossess."

"Guess you'll never find out."

" _What a shame,_ I had so much anticipation to give you, you're own _personalized_ tour."

"I think I've already seen the prettiest work of art, _already_." The blonde suddenly felt her confidence pill up; noticing the way the brunette had been keeping her eyes keen on her.

"You must have bad eye sight _because_ you had heads turning as soon as you walked in." Alex smirked when the blonde blushed with a shy chuckle.

"I can't steal your show now, _can I_?" She quipped back. Alex raised her eyebrows in surprise. Piper was full of surprises _wasn't she_?

"Okay _soldier_ , we'll play it your way."

Two can play at this dangerous flirting game. With the way they both looked. Any rules, rationality, logic or fears slipped right out the door. All that mattered was _here_ and _now_.

* * *

Thirty minutes had passed before Alex was dragged away from the blonde. She didn't know what came over her really _. All of sudden_ , she felt possessed. She was her old self rather than the person she'd become this last year.

She felt happy. She was smiling. And it wasn't the kind of fake smile you pull of to avoid questions. _No_ , it was a _real_ smile, one that was purely out of happiness, one that had _purpose_.

The war, military, her father, her mother, Polly, Cal, _everything_ was at the back of her mind. Pushed to the _farthest_ corner. All her attention cooped on _one person_. On the stunning brunette that stood with a proud grin explaining a painting to one of the critics.

Piper smiled for her, she could sense the struggle Alex had to take on to get to where she was now. It was her own type of battlefield. _And boy,_ was she thriving in that battleground. She was rising high. Piper could feel that the woman deserved _nothing_ less.

She watched her explain in passion for a few more seconds before she took it upon herself to see the rest of her work. She walked with slim fingers around a wine glass filled with water.

Her eyes caught sight of a beautiful landscape painting, a side view from the tip of the Eiffel Tower, the sky an amber color with a dash of fire red gleaming across the nearly invisible clouds, a _gorgeous_ sunset in one of _the most_ beautiful cities. The colors were in _perfect_ harmony. Piper could never recall seeing _anything so_ detailed. It was _fascinating_.

She took light steps forward admiring the next canvas, _another_ masterpiece stood before her. This time a shadow of a person being drowned underwater by heavy boxes tied with a rope around the figures ankle. She took her time starring at the image. _So_ much _meaning_ emitted from it. Her gaze was locked for a long time _, just trying_ to figure out the story behind the painting.

"A _powerful_ story that one is." A voice emerged from behind her, startling her for the slightest bit.

She turned around. A woman she couldn't recognize approached her with a grin. Her eyes focused on the painting, she sipped on her wine then looked at Piper.

"It's my favorite." She voiced her opinion, expecting Piper to tell her hers.

" _It's tragic_." The blonde accidentally let slip from her lips. The older woman looked at her astonishingly, her eyebrow perked in a very Alex Vause way.

"I _mean_ ; it's _just_ a sad story." She pointed at the boxes.

" _See_ , those are the weights a person carries on their shoulders. I'm _assuming_ that the reason this person gets dragged underwater is because no one sees what's beneath the surface and he's drowning without anyone even knowing." She tried to clarify.

"It doesn't _have to be_ tragic." The woman protested with a shrug.

" _Depends_ on how you see it." She told the blonde who stood confused; there really was only _one way_ of seeing it. She crossed her brows together, waiting for an explanation.

"It _could_ symbolize strength. The boxes that are weighing him down are a heavy burden; _yes_ but-" she stopped to take another sip of her drink. "The person still manages to survive, he's _still_ breathing and he chooses to _hide_ his weaknesses."

The soldier stood with surprise, it was enticing how the woman had taken a seemingly sad image and spun it in a way that made it look _empowering_. She glanced back at the canvas, seeing the light of the situation.

"I never thought of it that way." She admitted. The older woman chuckled.

" _Most_ people don't." She smiled then stretched her arm out.

"I'm Diane." She introduced herself. Piper shook her hand.

"Piper Chapman."

"You're _Piper_?" She questioned with shocked eyes, her eyebrows rose to her forehead. " _The soldier_?"

" _Yes_." The blonde suddenly felt skeptical of the woman, how could she have possibly known that.

"I'm Alex's mother." She explained quickly, the soldier's stomach went into a hissy fit. _Alex talked about her_?

"It's nice to meet you." She quickly fixed her confused state and tried to look as sophisticated as possible. Diane chuckled slightly finishing her drink.

"I _must_ say," she eyed the blonde from top to bottom. Piper felt her legs turn to jelly, she was _extremely_ nervous. "I was expecting someone more-"

" _Buff?_ " A quiet familiar voice approached them from behind the soldier. She turned around, only to find Nicky walking up to them, _slightly_ tipsy.

" _Nicky_ ," Diane sighed out in disapproval. The redhead ignored and smirked.

"I _am not_ drunk." She warned quickly. Knowing both Vauses, they could smell bullshit from a mile away and her was slightly reeking. She tried to walk in balance with her heels. She _hated_ heels.

"Tipsy, _maybe_?" She admitted. Diane shook her head with annoyance.

"I'll get the aspirin." She said with boredom while she left.

Having known Nicky's childhood it was going to get ugly soon, and the redhead needed her chill pill. Nicky spent most of her post-teen years with Alex; Diane had become somewhat like a mother to her. So, this was more than normal to Diane.

" _So_ , you decided to come." The redhead stated with a smirk as she looked at the blonde.

"Ya," the blonde nodded.

"See anything you like?" Her smirk grew. " _You know,_ other than _Alex_." Piper stared wide-eyed at Nicky. Her bluntness was unfortunate during most times. The blonde straightened herself and distracted herself by answering the question.

" _She's_ extremely _talented_."

"Ya, _I know_." The redhead picked a glass of wine once it passed her, Piper doubted that it was wise but it wasn't her call to make. Nicky smiled sheepishly before taking a sip.

"Which one's your favorite?" The blonde was taken back by the sudden question.

" _Umm."_ She wrapped her fingers a little tighter around her glass before she inspected the room once more.

It landed on a painting at the far end of the room, an image of an _extraordinary_ beach view with footsteps on the sand and a disappearing figure. The colors were vibrant _yet_ the story sad. The sun was setting in the painting. Her legs gravitated towards the canvas it was probably the largest one in the room.

" _This one_." She said. Nicky smirked as she drank nodding her head.

" _Yup_ , that sure took her _ages_ to get right."

"It's _fascinating_."

"I agree." A Russian accent filled the air as the woman stood next to them. She pointed to the painting, the soldier eyed her intensely the woman seemed tough. Her face almost neutral not at all like how she sounded.

"Look at _that,_ " she inspected the painting again. "The brush stroke _so_ delicate. Only firm hands can accomplish this work of art, _yet_ , such a sad ora emitting _such_ strong _gentle_ hands." It felt like the woman was talking to herself.

" _Tell me_ , my dear." The Russian pointed at the canvas, then looked at Piper. " _How much_ do you think this is worth?"

Piper paused for a few seconds, her brain still trying to piece together what this woman's motives were. The redhead next to her turned to look at the older woman only to freeze. Nicky spit half the drink she sipped on when she finally noticed whom the woman was.

" _Mrs. Reznikov."_ The redhead tried to fix her posture all tipsiness faded away. The older woman smirked.

" _Dear child_ , learn to drink before you drown yourself."

" _I, I,"_ she tried to speak.

Mrs. Reznikov was one of the _strongest_ people in the art program. She has high expectations; _usually_ she crushed the works of the painters. She _never_ really liked anything from first glance. She was like a _red dragon_. If she didn't like anything all she had to do was open her mouth and it would burn. But if she liked your work then you've won the lottery.

"Get yourself a glass of water, honey." She rolled her eyes then eyed Piper again.

"As I was saying," she looked back at the painting waiting for the blonde's response. "How much do you think its work?"

The soldier thought for a moment, Alex must've taken her time with the painting, everything so detailed. It's must've taken her days or _weeks_ to accomplish its vogue appearance.

"I _guess_ , 1,000 dollars." She voiced skeptically looking at the older woman. The woman smirked.

"You _hesitated_ ," she pointed at Piper, who was shaking by now. "Let me tell you why," she pointed at the canvas again, near a spot that was slightly mushed.

It was a color cover up, barely noticeable for normal people but _an obvious_ mistake for an art dealers eye.

"This was not the painting she _originally_ wanted, _although_ beautiful. _It's a fake_. The artists intentions shifted mid way through her painting." She looked at the blonde.

"She's afraid to paint something _different_." She finalized. Piper looked around. She did notice a pattern in Alex's paintings.

"Maybe, she just hasn't found the right inspiration yet?"

" _Of course_ she hasn't," Mrs. Reznikov shook her hand in dissent.

" _But_ ," Piper protested. "For a beginner, she's quiet the catch. I've never seen paintings like theses, ones that if you look hard enough can shape 20 different stories."

" _What stories_ do you see in this my dear?" The older woman kept a keen eye on the soldier. Intrigued about what she was going to hear. The blonde gulped. The look was scary but she carried on to justify her intentions.

"It could be a sad story, about a person who'd loved and lost and was fading away, _or_ a happy one." She paused taking her time to look at the photo. "A _memorable_ one, the footprints and the things this person has left behind. The _legacy_ he left. So, he'd never really be obliterated _but_ remembered."

Mrs. Reznikov stood admiringly, for the first time in ages she's actually liked a newbies work. She looked at the blonde a grin high on her lips. She sipped at her wine.

"I _like_ you." She said then simply walked away. Piper exhaled a breath she held tightly. She had a feeling that the woman was big, with the way Nicky reacted she only hopped she didn't screw it for Alex. She placed her glass down on a near table she needed to get out.

* * *

Alex sighed out as soon as most of the guests have left, she felt guilty. At some point, the little time she'd spent with the soldier really hit her. She couldn't spend much time with Piper and right when she was free, she couldn't find the enticing blonde anywhere. It _frustrated_ her even more.

She let her eyes roam around the door once more hopping she'd catch at least a glimpse of her when _suddenly_ she was tapped on the shoulder, she turned around and caught her breath. Her ears turned read and her body went stiff. Before her stood _the toughest_ critic of times magazine and the owner of the Red Productions galleries. _Mrs. Reznikov._ Alex could remember the first time she'd met her. It was at her first gallery. _Boy_ , did she crush her back then, it was one of her missions to get her to like her work, a _dream goal_ actually.

"It's disrespectful to not introduce yourself, _sweetie_." She spoke with great elegance and posture. Alex fiddled with the near empty glass in her hand before she straightened her voice.

"Alex Vause," she said with an extended arm. "A pleasure to see you." The redhead squinted her eyes.

"We've met before, _haven't we_?" Alex's palms started to sweat, _shit_. She remembered her.

" _You're_ the street artist who tried to sell out _at 18_." She smirked and chuckled. " _My,_ have the years gone fast." The brunette still couldn't utter a word.

"You've _definitely_ evolved, good work child." She said with a neutral look, you'd think she was just lying.

The older woman pulled out a folded paper from her bag as Alex processed her thoughts. Did the Mrs. Reznikov _a.k.a_ red dragon lady compliment her on her work? As if on queue the older woman handed her the piece of Paper.

"I'd like to see more progress _miss Vause_ , a shame it would be if those talents go to waste." She said with a devilish smirk, and patted her shoulder. She walked away slightly as the brunette quickly scrambled the piece of paper.

Her eyes budged out of their sockets; there in her hands she had a 1,000-dollar check for one of her paintings. She flipped the paper back and forth as if trying to believe it wasn't a fake. Her eyes fixed on the scribbled handwriting at the back.

 _"Thank the blonde."_

That was all that was written. Alex's stomach did twists and turns. She was too busy dealing with the line of critics she hadn't noticed Piper with the woman who probably held the art world in the palm of her hands.

What could she have _possibly_ said to turn Mrs. Reznikov to her side?

* * *

Piper stood by the taxicab line. Her mind was in swirls; she was _nearly_ sweating which was strange considering she was standing in the freezing coldness of New York. She'd been going back and forth contemplating whether to go or stay. And every time she was about to step into a cab, she flinched backwards. Like some force was pulling her.

If she left now, she had no guarantee if she'd ever cross paths with the brunette again. She wouldn't have to worry about strings being attached _or_ feelings growing. She wouldn't have to leave _anyone_ behind. _No casualties_. _But_ , what if she stayed?

There was no way of finding out what could happen if she stayed _unless_ she did. She had two weeks, two weeks left to see her if she wanted. Could she do it? Could she be _just friends_ after being apart from that love filled world for so long, _could she do it?_

She _definitely_ craved it. She _missed_ loving and being loved _no matter_ how many times she'd show the opposite her _true_ intentions were _always_ grounded by love. _Yet_ , it was the thing that scared her _the most_. What was she going to do?

 _"I suggest you use that time wisely."_

 _"You leave in nearly two weeks, Pipes."_

 _"I hope you know what you're doing."_

The words echoed in her head. She'd been warned, but she was already far past that electric fence. She'd been told to use her time wisely, yet being wise was never her strong suit.

" _Screw it."_ She hissed and pulled herself together to head back to the gallery hopping Alex would still be there.

* * *

Her heart drummed a rapid beat the minute she reached the brunette. Alex had a wine glass in her hands as she sipped on it starring directly at one of her paintings, the one she'd talked about to that critic.

The gallery was empty this time. _Dark even_ , the brunette had her heels in her other hand and a crumpled piece of paper in the palm of her hand. She took another sip of her wine as the blonde approached her quietly from behind.

"I hope I'm not interrupting." The soldier whispered taking light steps. Alex twirled as fast as she could by the sound of her voice.

"I thought you left." She spoke vulnerably, maybe even a little tipsy. God knows the tool it must take dealing with a bunch of judgmental people.

"I _was_ promised a _personal_ tour." The blonde smirked. The brunette chuckled nodding her head then pointing her drink at the soldier.

" _You_ are dangerous." She grinned when Piper shifted. She sipped on her wine and walked closer to the brunette. " _But_ , I like it." She smirked her eyes slightly sparkling with lust.

Piper blushed and cleared her throat when she couldn't handle the puddle that was growing between her legs from the look Alex gave her. She walked past the brunette and faced the canvas she was starring at.

"Tell me, about _this_." She tried to focus her brain to the painting. The artist took soft steps and stood next to her; even without her heels on she was a _tad_ bit taller. Her eyes held a firm glance at Piper.

"It's one of my greatest works." She spoke as soon as she turned her attention to the canvas again.

"But, not intentionally." She stated, remembering the critics words. Alex looked at her with confusion. How could she know that, last she checked Piper was a soldier not an artist.

"How'd you-"

"An older woman approached me. Russian accent and all." She started to explain, then pointed to the slightly mushed section. "You covered the colors." Alex's eyes turned wide. Why would she give her a thousand dollars if she knew that?

"Did you _say something_ to her?" She asked quickly, her eyebrows crossed with confusion. Piper suddenly felt nervous. _Shit._ Did she screw it up for her?

"A _stupid_ opinion." Piper brushed with a nervous chuckle. Alex stared at her intensely. She shook her head.

" _She_ didn't think so," the brunette pulled out the check from her hand and gave it to the blonde. Piper's eyes grew wider.

"I _thought_ she was kidding." She whispered out astonished. Alex chuckled taking the piece of paper, back. Piper was still in her shocked wave.

" _Trust me_ , Mrs. Reznikov dose not _'kid'_ about things art." Piper crossed her eyebrows, her own brain wandering into confusion, she said Alex hadn't found her inspiration yet, why would she buy something she thought was _without_ inspiration.

"Did she say anything else?" Alex question, Piper had a funny look.

"She said you were scared of doing something different." Piper whispered out as she stared into the greenest orbs she'd ever laid her eyes on.

"I think I know what it is."

" _What?_ " Alex asked intrigued as she fixed her sight on the blonde's eyes and lips.

" _People."_ She breathed out. "You don't paint people." Alex took a look around her paintings noticing the missing figure in her work. "You paint their shadows, eyes, lips, features even _but_ ," she stared harder.

" _Never_ , a _real_ person." Her eyes switched back and forth, something was stopping her, something that scared her _deeply_. She could see the green-eyed brunette swallow a spectrum when she noticed her weakness in her greatest fealty.

" _Why_?" She asked. The brunette looked away with a sorrowed chuckle.

"That's a story for another time." She whispered. Piper felt like she was in no position to push forward. She only knew this person's outline. If she wanted to color her correctly she had to walk through her pace and not drag her.

"Come," she shook her head, dismissing what had just happened. "I'll show you my other work, finally give you that personalized tour." She said with a smile. Her expression's changed without hesitation or difficultly. Piper didn't let that go unnoticed but for now she brushed it off.

* * *

Time had passed swiftly, Alex and Piper both enjoyed the two hours they'd spent together. They've fell into another world, _yet again_. Getting to know each other better. Now they stood by Piper's brother's apartment again.

Alex's stomach feeling the sudden emerges of butterflies and Piper's fingers turning numb from nervousness. She had something she's been _dying_ to ask. Currently her cheeks hurt from smiling so much, her dimples had _basically_ drilled a whole through her skin. She was staring at the ground when she started to speak.

"About the other day," she looked up at Alex who was smiling. "Did you _mean_ what you said when you told me you _might_ like me or _something_?" She nervously bit her lip waiting for an answer. Green eyes froze at the question; those butterflies have suddenly doubled inside her. She swallowed a heavy spectrum and blushed while whispering out.

" _Yes_ ," her cheeks turned hot red, while Pipers enormous smile grew.

 _Fuck_. She thought. I'm definitely screwed. Alex gulped again looking at the ground before she looked back up again. Her lips turning dry, her palms sweating. She scratched her neck slightly breathing out.

"Would you, _umm,_ " she fumbled with her hands and shook her head. "No, _I mean_ if you want-" she shut her eyes and shook her head again.

" _Scratch that_ ," she looked at the blonde, her nerves heightening. She sighed again. "How would like it, if I could take you out?" Piper looked at her confused. Alex's fluster-ness was a distracting trait.

" _Like,_ for dinner?" The brunette nervously clarified. Piper smirked.

"Are you trying to ask me out?" She raised her eyebrows. " _On a date_?"

"I _Umm,"_ she began to scratch at the back of her neck again. "I haven't asked anyone out in a long time. I _kinda_ forgot how." She admitted, and then hit herself mentally. Why would you say that? Piper giggled softly. She walked closer to the brunette all rationality out the window.

She let her lips feel Alex's cheeks again, this time they lingered for a moment. Her lipstick printed on the brunette's cheek, whose legs could fail her within _any_ second. She felt something being slipped into her free hand before the blonde pulled apart slightly.

"Pick me up at 7." She smirked as she whispered into Alex's clearly red ears. " _Surprise me._ " She said walking backwards towards the door. The brunette chuckled breathlessly. Her eyes transfixed at the blonde who had somehow someway stole her wisdom and logic, _maybe even_ her heart.

She watched the blonde enter the building before she looked at the paper at hand. She smirked. The blonde's number was scribbled on it. She _definitely_ didn't lose her charm. She mentally fist pumped the air before getting in her car. When it suddenly hit her, how the fuck was she going to impress a soldier on a date, to a nice place when she could barely afford to pay her rent?


End file.
